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Paul Clarke's Falernum #9 Recipe

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Paul Clarke’s Falernum #9
Difficulty: Easy | Total Time: 20 mins, plus infusing time | Active Time: | Makes: 2 1/2 cups

During tiki’s heyday, falernum, a syrup made with rum infused with clove, citrus, and nut flavors, was added to rum drinks like the Zombie. Before falernum was widely available, Cocktail Chronicles blogger Paul Clarke tinkered with making his own. After eight experiments over a year (thus #9), Clarke finally found a recipe he was happy with.

This recipe was featured as part of our DIY Home Bar project.

INGREDIENTS
  • 2 tablespoons blanched, slivered almonds
  • 40 whole cloves, crushed
  • 3/4 cup (6 ounces) white rum
  • Finely grated zest of 9 medium limes, with no traces of white pith
  • 1 (3-inch piece) fresh ginger, peeled and julienned
  • 1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons superfine sugar
  • 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon warm water
  • 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice, strained
  • 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Toast the almonds and cloves in a small, dry frying pan over medium heat until the almonds are golden and the cloves are aromatic, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat to cool slightly, about 3 minutes.
  2. Place cloves, almonds, rum, lime zest, and ginger in a 2-cup nonreactive container with a tightfitting lid. Cover, shake to combine, and let mixture sit for 24 hours at room temperature.
  3. Combine sugar and water in a 1-quart container with a tightfitting lid. Cover and shake until all the sugar has dissolved and the mixture looks clear, about 5 minutes. (By not heating the sugar-water mixture, the simple syrup will be less dense and crisper than a cooked syrup.) You should have 1 3/4 cups; set aside.
  4. After 24 hours, strain the rum mixture through a moistened cheesecloth or several layers of paper towels set in a fine mesh strainer over a small bowl. Taking care not to rip the cloth or paper towels, press the solids against the strainer to extract all the liquid. Discard the solids.
  5. Add the strained liquid, lime juice, and almond extract to the reserved simple syrup. Shake until combined. Keep refrigerated for up to 1 month.
    Write a review | 7 Reviews
  • Paul Clarke’s Falernum #9 Recipe
    5

    It's terrific, and worth the wait through the first eight iterations (thanks for the diligence, Paul)! I started mine with the toasted cloves in the rum for 24 hours before adding everything else, then infused for another 24 hours (I wanted a bit more clove flavor). I strained mine first through a fine strainer, then through cheesecloth, then through a coffee filter. Also: the only overproof rum I had was Rivers, and it's got a very strong smell that overtakes everything else. So I used straight Bacardi. Worked fine, but I'm looking forward to trying it with Wray & Nephew.

  • Paul Clarke’s Falernum #9 Recipe
    5

    You SHOULD use 40 cloves - this needs to be a very strong-flavored syrup with the desired (and often required) depth of flavor and complexity of character. That's exactly why it is used in relatively small quantities in classic cocktails. It all balances out very nicely in the finished syrup, so don't worry about the 40 cloves. It's the right amount of cloves for how this syrup is intended to be experienced and used. Also, DO NOT USE Bacardi 151 because it is a low-grade comparatively harsh-tasting 151 which should be avoided. Use, instead, the recommended and much more neutral Wray & Nephew Overproof Rum which will have high enough alcohol content to extract the flavors and oils from the ingredients without introducing any harsh (low-grade) flavors into the falernum. I have made many batches of falernum now, and these suggestions are the result of what I have learned.

  • buy dried cloves from the supermarket or use ones that are relatively fresh that you have in your cupboard. I toast my spices before crushing them, which brightens them up.

    yes, he really means 40 cloves. and yes, this is very powerful stuff. I usually start by halving the amount of falernum called for in a recipe as it has it's way of overpowering a drink. this is fantastic stuff and I would recommend trying your hand at it. after your first batch you can start to experiment with different high proof rums and different spices.

  • lindygal: perhaps someone confused this recipe with the famous chicken and garlic dish? :-)

    ... or perhaps not. On Paul's site he also calls for 40 cloves, but with a note that you should "buy fresh ones -- not the cloves that have been in your spice rack since last Christmas." [1]

    Does he mean to buy a fresh jar of dried cloves, or are there actually fresh cloves available somewhere for purchase? Paul Clarke is one of a handful of cocktail bloggers that I tend to really trust -- I've used many of his recipes with great success -- so I think we're missing something here.

    [1] http://www.cocktailchronicles.com/200...

  • 40 cloves?????! You must be kidding! Even ONE clove flavors an entire gallon of liquid sufficiently for you to tell it's there. 40 cloves will simply overwhelm everything else in the mix -- unless clove extract is really what you're after. In falernum, clove overdose is not desirable. But I agree about using Bacardi 151 or another rum of similar strength and about the almond extract and lime juice, except that I'd use 1/2 teaspoon of almond extract and skip the slivered almonds entirely.

  • Paul Clarke from Salem Mass?

  • I have made falernum 3 or 4 times and you need to use a high proof rum like bacardi 151, wray & nephew overproof, or smith & cross. also, don't add the lime juice to this as it will ruin your falernum. just add a little lime juice to the cocktail you wish to make with your falernum if you wish. the almonds won't do much. I add 1/4 tsp almond extract when I add the simple syrup.

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