Making Homemade Bay Rum

Discussion in 'Soapmaking & Lotions' started by HolyRollah, Aug 23, 2013.

  1. Metro

    Metro Well-Known Member

    Nice work! Did you seal it though or loosely covered it?
     
  2. HolyRollah

    HolyRollah BaconLord

    Sealed(screw-top). I shook the jar every day to ensure a thoroughly-mixed amalgam.
     
  3. bflewis

    bflewis New Member

    Awesome post!!! Going out this week to gather the ingredients so my son and I can experiment with your recipe this weekend!!!

    Couple of questions ... how many Allspice berries and Peppercorns did you use? And how many drops of each EO did you use? Even the lime EO?

    Again, love this post!!! Great job and thank you!!!
     
  4. HolyRollah

    HolyRollah BaconLord

    Here's the original recipe I used.
    I modified it a bit and probably would alter it again in the next batch. (* means alterations)

    Bay Rum
    Vodka 6 oz
    Dark Jamaican Rum, 4 oz
    Witch Hazel 6 oz
    Essential Oil (5/2 ratio, Bay to rosemary) 40 drops total; (*added Lime EO: 20 drops)
    Bay Oil (Pimenta Racemosa) 28 drops
    Rosemary Oil 12 drops
    (*I added Lime EO: 20 drops)
    Allspice 3-5 berries, cracked (*I doubled this amount)
    Black Peppercorns 6-19, cracked (*I doubled this amount)
    2 sticks Cinnamon, broken in pieces
    Lime Zest from 1 Large 9or 2 small (2 TBLs)(*I doubled this amount)
    Ginger Root, chopped (1 tablespoon)

    Add after straining liquid through cheesecloth or paper filter, add:
    Glycerin 1tsp

    Begin by grating the lime peel to get its zest. You want the green part of the peel, not the white beneath.
    This usually yields about two tablespoons of zest. It’s fine if you have more or less than this.
    Once you have the zest, put it in your pint jar along with the cinnamon stick (break it up ), the ginger, and the allspice berries.
    Next add the rum and vodka. Next fill the jar with witch hazel distillate. This will be just under two cups.
    Finally add 40 drops of the essential oils (bay & Rosemary. Cover the mixture with a tight fitting lid and shake well.

    Shake it well every day for 4 - 6 weeks. Once the homemade bay rum is done, strain off the ingredients and add the Glycerin,
    This makes enough to fill two 8 oz bottles.
     
  5. FreshDaBarber

    FreshDaBarber New Member

    For authentic Bay rum recipes a key ingredient is West Indian Bay leaves (Pimenta racemosa). These are not the regular bay leaves and are different in both shape and most importantly smell. There are different variants of this tree with variations in scents due to slightly different essential oils in the leaves some have a more cinnamon like smell and some have a more lime/citrus scent naturally. Using the bay leaves also yields a nice colour as well.
     
    GDCarrington likes this.
  6. HolyRollah

    HolyRollah BaconLord

    Yes, indeed; as per my comments in the initial post. Always use the Pimenta Racemosa.
    Unless one wishes to make a nice italian-style soup! ;)
     
    PatrickA51 likes this.
  7. PatrickA51

    PatrickA51 Well-Known Member

    I don't want to make soup, but the rest really sounds great. Thank You very much for taking the time to post this. :smiley respect:
    I wonder ho it would taste in my coffee instead of using Irish Whiskey? :shaver
     
    45auto likes this.
  8. Badger-Face

    Badger-Face Well-Known Member

    This sounds awesome. I have been very interested in bay rum scents since I got into all this traditional awesomeness. I have yet to even smell any bay rums. But, for some reason I just know it's my favorite scent lol. It just sounds great to me. I like whiskey colognes so why not rum. I just wish I could find it somewhere around here to sample but, it all seems to be online. I might give making my own a try. I just spent the money a few days ago to make my own AS and now have to flasks full so I should probably wait until I empty one of them. Thanks for the thread. I really enjoyed reading your steps as time passed.
     
  9. Dex

    Dex New Member

    This weekend I will be giving this a try. I love the smell of BR. I hope it turns out.
     
  10. Batman9402

    Batman9402 Active Member

    wow good read
     
  11. puggy1

    puggy1 New Member

    I will try this
     
  12. BrianMiller

    BrianMiller New Member

    I think I might have to try this as well. Very interesting indeed.
     
  13. defectivechimp

    defectivechimp Well-Known Member

    nice, i love DIY
     
  14. theunnamed

    theunnamed Well-Known Member

    Nice work!! Congrats.
    What would be the critical thing about the actual Bay Leaves ? Can you elaborate this issue please ?

     
  15. HolyRollah

    HolyRollah BaconLord

    In the final product, one of the distinct aromas of bay rum is the 'bay leaf' scent. The Essential oils give up their scent immediately into the mix, whereas the whole leaves take a considerable time more to perfume the blend.
    So it is critical one allows enough time (3 weeks to a month) for the whole bay leafs to steep.
     
  16. theunnamed

    theunnamed Well-Known Member

    Last edited: Jun 3, 2014
  17. Timelord

    Timelord I get 12 times the shaves out my blades!

    If you truly want it to be home-made, shouldn't you start out with the setup that this guy has? :happy097:[​IMG]
     
  18. theunnamed

    theunnamed Well-Known Member

    What can be used instead of Witch Hazel ? It's really annoying but I can 't find witch hazel here too. Can I use some oils such as Peach oil , Jasmin oil or Pinapple oil or what ?
     
  19. Ramaniac

    Ramaniac Member

    I have seen several DIY recipes, and not one begins with, "Drink 3/4 of the rum. To the rum bottle add..." (astonishing) I was reading St. Johns Bay, and during Prohibition they used aspirin tablets to destroy the alcohol after it was made. People drank it because, well, it had aspirin in it and was good for sore muscles.

    This was an amazing thread, and I am so glad it is part of TSD!!!
     
    Last edited: Jun 7, 2014
  20. okiwen

    okiwen Member

    I really appreciate this thread. I wonder if it is cost effective to distill my own bay rum in the long run? Have others done this for the enjoyment of process or quality,value added?
     

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