Falernum: The Topic

[Snowy is dead]

thanks for moving this to the right place. didn't see the original thread.

can't wait to try this stuff tonight. The fees has been working fine. just a quater to half ounce goes a long way. Those little bottles last quite some time.

[slkinsey]

While you're at it, shake up a Flaming Orange Gully for an eG-themed drink:

1.5 oz : Stolichnaya Ohranj

1.0 oz : Velvet Falernum

1.0 oz : fresh orange juice

0.5 oz : fresh lime juice

2 dashes : Angostura bitters

Shake and strain. Garnish with a flamed orange peel and fresh grated nutmeg.

[lancastermike]

I have used the Fee Brothers with good success. However, I have never had the Taylor Velvet so i cannot offer a comparision.

The Flaming orange Gully is a good drink and a fine use of falernum

[Snowy is dead]

I tried the flaming orange gully with both fees and velvet falernum. regrettably, I didn't do them side by side, but I didn't notice a large difference. that drink reminds me of the east india cocktail, the way all those spice flavors float around. quite tasty. I'll definitely make more of those.

Sean

[drcocktail]

Hail all, after so long a sojourn! I just happened on this thread, and as serendipity and fortuitous timing would have it, I just posted a rather exhaustive article on this very subject!

Stop by, won't you?

Cheers and hugs to all my pals!

--Doc.

[ThinkingBartender]

Recently I came across the following excerpts:

Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, 1852 &

"Five Years' Residence in the West Indies", By Charles William Day, 1852

"Wine is not drunk at our table, but cold brandy and water, or sometimes a sort of cold rum punch called "falurnum," a very baneful, heady, bilious drink in great request."

Does anyone know the recipe for this particular rum punch, or has Charles Day simply confused the liqueur with the name of the potation?

Beverages, past and present by Edward R. (Edward Randolph) Emerson - 1908

"Another drink made with rum was called falurnum, perhaps in honour of the ancient

Falernian. It was always served cold..."

So even after reading Ted Haigh's article on Falernum I am really none the wiser. Sure it is a brand of liquor, but what else was it?

"Pocket Guide to the West Indies", by Algernon Aspinall, 1914:

"Amongst other beverages peculiar to the West Indies which should be asked for are pimento dram and falernum..."

Cheers!

George S.

g.sinclair@yahoo.co.uk

http://www.wiki.webtender.com/wiki/

Edited September 21, 2006 by ThinkingBartender (log)

[tim]

Hi,

Does anyone has seen a recipe for falernum?

While I have not tasted many falernums, the Hanschell Innis falernum is excellent. The Sazerac did not compare.

Tim

[ThinkingBartender]

From what I can see the ingredients varies from brand to brand, but include the following:

Lime Zest

cloves

almond extract

Rum

Ginger

Edited September 21, 2006 by ThinkingBartender (log)

[limewine]

Does anyone has seen a recipe for falernum?

While I have not tasted many falernums, the Hanschell Innis  falernum is excellent.  The Sazerac did not compare.

←

I've been playing around with falernum recipes for a year or so. My latest version is posted here:

http://www.cocktailchronicles.com/2006/07/28/falernum-8/

I gave samples of this to Ted Haigh and Jeff Berry at Tales of the Cocktail in July, and they seemed pleased.

Based on the recommendation of Chad Solomon from Pegu, I made a subsequent batch using this recipe, but added 1/4 cup of blanched, slivered, lightly toasted almonds to the initial soak. I couldn't taste much of a difference--perhaps I'll increase the amount next time (though currently I have a lot of solids soaking in not that much liquid, so there's a limit on how much more I can fit in).

Haven't tried the Hanschell Innis -- where did you obtain the stuff?

[Sneakeater]

Isn't there a recipe for falernum linked on, like, the first page of this thread?

[limewine]

Isn't there a recipe for falernum linked on, like, the first page of this thread?

←

1) The links are, like, broken

2) The recipe makes a falernum that, I found, is very mild -- basically flavored simple syrup, nowhere near the amount of flavor and complexity you find in the commercial versions. Hence, the experimentation with recipes.

[Sneakeater]

Like, sorry.

[birder53]

Got a bottle of Taylor Velvet at LaNell's last week. Besides Janet's unplanned gin experiment, what other drinks can you make with it? Tonight we will try the Voyager from Drinkboy's site. The other drinks I know of are the Swizzle, the Rum Swizzle and the Flaming Gully.

It's a big bottle. Any other suggestions?

[tim]

Haven't tried the Hanschell Innis -- where did you obtain the stuff?

←

Paul,

I'm sorry to be so late with this reply. We found the Hanchell Innis in Bermuda. Only one of the local shops carried this brand, maybe Goslings.

It really does have wonderful flavor.

Tim

[ThinkingBartender]

From my searches of "ancient" newspapers, I have put together this list of Falernum Cocktail, all of which have won cocktail competitions:

I haven't translated the recipes in ml or oz, they are presented as I found them, with no preparation or serving glass specified.

1965, "Cognac Misty", Albert Carillo.

1 oz Cognac,

1/4 oz Orange Curacao,

1/4 oz Cointreau,

1/4 oz Falernum.

1954, "Frosty Dawn", Albert Carillo.

7 parts Puerto Rican Rum,

2 Parts Falernum,

1 part Maraschino,

1 oz Orange Juice

1969, "Golden Wave", Jose C. Yalco.

Rum,

Triple Sec,

Falernum,

Pineapple Juice,

Lemon Juice.

1973, "Cogna Perino", Anthony Cordero.

1 oz Cognac,

1/2 oz Creme de Banane,

1/2 oz Passionfruit Syrup,

1/4 oz Falernum,

Dash Frothee,

Juice from 1/4 Orange.

Does anyone else have recipes from the past which include Falernum?

Cheers!

George

[BTR]

1954, "Frosty Dawn", Albert Carillo.

7 parts Puerto Rican Rum,

2 Parts Falernum,

1 part Maraschino,

1 oz Orange Juice

←

What in the world was whoever put the recipe in this format thinking? Mixing purely relative proportions with absolute amounts is insanity.

[birder53]

1954, "Frosty Dawn", Albert Carillo.

7 parts Puerto Rican Rum,

2 Parts Falernum,

1 part Maraschino,

1 oz Orange Juice

←

What in the world was whoever put the recipe in this format thinking? Mixing purely relative proportions with absolute amounts is insanity.

←

There was a version of this on CocktailDB which we tried this weekend. The Falernum dominated the drink, not unpleasantly so. The juice from my orange was not very flavorful, so that might have played into the results.

[birder53]

Tried Robert Hess' Voyager tonight. I was afraid that the Benedictine might overpower the drink, but all the flavors came together very nicely. The only thing I might change is the amount of bitters. I might have been a bit over zealous with them.

[limewine]

From my searches of "ancient" newspapers, I have put together this list of Falernum Cocktail, all of which have won cocktail competitions:

←

Excellent work, George--I'll have to give some of these a spin.

One of my favorite falernum cocktails is the Test Pilot; recipe from Jeff Berry's Grog Log (Jeff credits the drink to Donn Beach, circa 1941).

Test Pilot

1/2 ounce fresh lime juice

1/2 ounce Falernum

3 teaspoons Cointreau

dash Angostura bitters

1/8 teaspoon Pernod

3/4 ounce light Puerto Rican rum

1 1/2 ounces dark Jamaican rum

Blend with 1 cup crushed ice for 5 seconds, then pour into double old-fashioned glass. Add more crushed ice to fill. Garnish with a wooden oyster fork with maraschino cherry skewered on prongs.

[Chris Amirault]

Scored a bottle of the Taylor falernum at Joyal's in West Warwick earlier this week, and with it made a fine Velvet Daiquiri. Thanks, Janet, and do weigh back in with the gin-based concoction. That Test Pilot looks swell, I must say.

[Nathan]

"The Art of the Bar" -- a beautifully photographed and written book by the bartenders at Absinthe in San Francisco (it has a wonderful section on the principles involved in cocktail creation) -- has numerous recipes for cocktails involving velvet falernum -- it is replete throughout their house recipes.

[Bricktop]

"The Art of the Bar" -- a beautifully photographed and written book by the bartenders at Absinthe in San Francisco (it has a wonderful section on the principles involved in cocktail creation) -- has numerous recipes for cocktails involving velvet falernum -- it is replete throughout their house recipes.

That book was under the tree for me. I haven't read any of it yet, but will move it to the top of the stack now.

[Chris Amirault]

Test Pilot

1/2 ounce fresh lime juice

1/2 ounce Falernum

3 teaspoons Cointreau

dash Angostura bitters

1/8 teaspoon Pernod

3/4 ounce light Puerto Rican rum

1 1/2 ounces dark Jamaican rum

Blend with 1 cup crushed ice for 5 seconds, then pour into double old-fashioned glass. Add more crushed ice to fill. Garnish with a wooden oyster fork with maraschino cherry skewered on prongs.

←

This is fantastic. It should be called a "Sky Pilot," as it's sort of a Corpse Reviver #2 on acid.

[JAZ]

I just found a bottle of Inner Circle rum at a new liquor store, so I finally had a chance to try Dave Wondrich's "Both Indies" cocktail from his Killer Cocktails book.

2 oz. Inner Circle rum (115 proof)

3/4 oz. lemon juice

1/2 oz. Velvet Falernum

1/4 oz. Grand Marnier

Shake over ice and strain into a chilled glass. Float a couple of drops of Angostura bitters over the drink.

At first, it sort of reminded me of my Velvet Daiquiri when I make it with dark rum. But after a sip or two, it revealed a lot more complexity. I'm not sure what it would be like with a different rum, but it was great with the Inner Circle.

[KatieLoeb]

Living in the spirits deprived wasteland that is the Commonwealth of PA, I can't get Velvet Falernum and have to make due with the Fee Brothers non-alcoholic version. Mixed up a whole mess of different drinks with it last night at my bar. The Flaming Orange Gully, the Gin Ray, the Pomtini and the Queens Park Swizzle (recipes all HERE) were all big winners and got rave reviews from customers and staff alike.

I went back to my local retail supplier today and snapped up the last 6 bottles of Fee Bros. Falernum they had!