Thread: Home made Bay Rum.

Originally Posted by MykelDR

Hey Huey.
Post your recipe if you can. And keep the thread updated with your results if you actually go ahead. Thanks for the reply too.

Well I finally put it all together last week using a bastardised version of a recipe off e-how.com.
the ingredients are
8 oz. gin or witch hazel
1 qt. glass jar with lid
2 oz. dark Jamaican rum
3 bay leaves
1/2 tsp. allspice
1 large cinnamon stick
1/2 tsp. orange essential oil

but I remember reading that you can use orage peel instead of orange EO. So I used about a 2cm by 1 cm slither of orange peel instad.

I only made a half batch because I didn't have enough witch hazel and I just used ordinary bay leaves from the grocery store. It'll be interesting to see what it smells and feels like in another week or so when it's ready but I'll be sure to let you know how satisfied or dissatisfied I am when it's done.

Hey I like the new Downunder sub-forum, I haven't been here for a while.

Bay rum...
Pimenta dioeca (Allspice) plants are available in Aust. and the leaves would be a suitable substitute, though not quite as good a scent as those of P.racemosa.

I recently got some cuttings of P.racemosa from the only tree I've seen.
the tree was shaded, neglected and overgrown by other trees, poor little thing and no surprise that the cuttings didn't grow.
I'll try again one day if the opportunity presents.

maybe I'll have a go at making some 'Bay Grappa' from a bit of the stuff from in my shed

Originally Posted by Huey

Well I finally put it all together last week using a bastardised version of a recipe off e-how.com.
the ingredients are
8 oz. gin or witch hazel
1 qt. glass jar with lid
2 oz. dark Jamaican rum
3 bay leaves
1/2 tsp. allspice
1 large cinnamon stick
1/2 tsp. orange essential oil

but I remember reading that you can use orage peel instead of orange EO. So I used about a 2cm by 1 cm slither of orange peel instad.

I only made a half batch because I didn't have enough witch hazel and I just used ordinary bay leaves from the grocery store. It'll be interesting to see what it smells and feels like in another week or so when it's ready but I'll be sure to let you know how satisfied or dissatisfied I am when it's done.

So how did this turn out Huey? Any good?

This recipe turned out alright. I let it sit for two weeks then strained it into an old glass bottle with a thin opening.
The smell of the cinnamon was a little over powering so I doubled the quantity of the spiced rum. This toned it down but without having experienced bay rum before, I wasn't too sure what I was looking for.
In the end, I now have a product that I'm happy with and a little experience to be able to play with the scent.
I've since put a bottle of old spice under my nose and I think I'm on the right track.

You guys got any recipes that use vodka? I've got that already and don't need to buy!

Originally Posted by tombuesing

You guys got any recipes that use vodka? I've got that already and don't need to buy!

Check out "the art of manliness" website. There is a nice sounding recipe on there using both vodka and rum. It sounds very very usable.
My worklife has eliminated any possibility of making my own bay rum. Hopefully soon. Good luck sir and please report all results back to this thread.

Mykel