The Rum Howler Blog

I get sent a lot of recipes from media and spirits companies who either want me to publish them here on my website, or just to peak my interest in a particular product. Recently a few recipes which have come my way require a specific liqueur (Allspice Dram) which is (as near as I can tell) almost impossible to find in my locale. One recipe in particular which was sent to me several months ago (the Appleton Maroon Swizzle) looked so good that I went on a mission to find Allspice Dram just so I could make one.

It turns out Allspice Dram is a liqueur made with lots of Allspice and a little Cinnamon. It seems to be a spirit which would be right up my alley as it is highly recommended as a complement to aged and dark rums in tiki style cocktails.

Although my research had indicated to me what Allspice Dram was, I still couldn’t find it in any stores. So I thought to myself, maybe I can make some at home. Luckily for me, there are many recipes online (if you look for them), and after reading them over I sort of melded the information together and came up with my formulation. I am not sure how close this is to the real thing; but I do know that when I finished my version of Allspice Dram, it seemed to work very well in my cocktail, the Appleton Maroon Swizzle.

Here is how I made my Allspice Dram.

Allspice Dram

1 1/2 Cups Old Sam Demerara Rum
1/4 Cup Crushed Dry Allspice Berries
1 Large Cinnamon Stick
1 Vanilla Bean
1 1/3 Cup Water
2/3 Cup Demerara Brown Sugar

Crush Dry Allspice Berries into large pieces
Add Old Sam Demerara Rum and the crushed berries into a large canning jar
Seal the jar tightly and shake to mix thoroughly
Allow the mixture to sit for about 1 week
Break the Cinnamon Stick into 3 pieces and add it to the steeped mixture
Add one Vanilla Bean as well
Seal the jar after mixing thoroughly
Allow the mixture to sit for 1 more week
After the second week strain the mixture though a fine sieve to remove the large pieces of spice
Strain one more time through a fine filter (a coffee filter should work)
Bring the water to a boil and add the Demerara Sugar to make a weak Demerara Syrup
Add the Demerara Syrup to the strained allspice and cinnamon infusion
Allow the mixture to sit for one more week.

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Of course now that I had made my key cocktail ingredient, it was time to make the Appleton Maroon Swizzle.

Here is the recipe:

Appleton Maroon Swizzle

1 1/2 oz Appleton Estate Signature Blend VX Jamaican Rum
1/2 oz Demerara Sugar Syrup (1:1 ratio)
1/4 oz Allspice Dram
1 oz Fresh Lime Juice
Ice
Long Strip of Naval Orange Peel and
Mint Sprig for garnish

Rub orange peel along rim of a rocks glass and then squeeze some zest into the glass
Add the four ingredients with crushed ice into the glass and swizzle with a swizzle stick
Add more ice to the top
Garnish with a long orange peel down the side of the glass and a mint sprig

Enjoy Responsibly!

Note: If  you are interested in more cocktail recipes, please click this link (Cocktails and Recipes) for more of my mixed drink recipes!

That was a lot of work for the sake of one cocktail, then again I have a nice bottle of home-made Allspice Dram which I can use for many more.

Chimo!