Thread: Homebrew Bayrum Recipes

I have an old bottle of Dominica that I use for special occasions which is about 6 years old. It actually gets a little mellower with age.

Originally Posted by Nightblade

QUESTION........What is the usual shelf life of a good homemade bayrum? Shelf life meaning,does this stuff go rancid over time or does it keep indefinantly ?

The alcohol acts as a preservative (well, it actually IS a preservative, and a natural one as well) so the shelf life will be be fairly long. The enemies are sunlight and heat, which affect the oils, not the alcohol. The general advice is to use the stuff by 18 months, but if it is well sealed and kept out of sunlight it will last for years. I've never sent a whisky (or rum, for that matter) back because it was "too old"

I love bay rum and I'm working on my own recipe. To counter the short life on the skin I am adding a sturdier basenote, so far vetiver has been the most promising. It adds an earthy warm note to it that seems to go well with the rest of the mix.

I'm currently working along this recipe:
30 Drop recipe, bay rum
4ml rum, 7 drops vetiver oil, 7 drops bay oil, 4 drops cinnamon oil, 3 drops clove oil, 6 drops black pepper oil, 3 drops sweet orange oil.
This is an undiluted mix and can't be used like this. I like to mix the scent and let it stand to develop before adding the alcohol (expencive in my country). I usually make several drafts and test them against each other before deciding which to actually use.
To prepare it for use, simply add 3 oz of alcohol (ideally around 70% strength) for a splash, or 2 oz for a more traditional AS.

Think I might try this

I'm experimenting with a recipe right now. So far, it's grain alcohol, vodka, Pimenta racemosa essential oil, lime essential oil, and witch hazel. It's a bit "harsh" so maybe I will dilute with some water. Also, the fragrance needs something additional, thinking maybe allspice, clove and/or cinnamon. Just put it in an old bay rum bottle I picked up off of eBay.

thanks for all the recipes. Can't wait to try!

Boy this stuff tastes horrible.

Originally Posted by cannonfodder

Boy this stuff tastes horrible.

Bay Rum Drink

Here ya go! Still perfecting the recipe, but you get the idea

A couple of weeks ago I made my own Bay Rum(with the 'wrong' bay leafs). It smells really nice(like the bayleafs with spices) and on the skin it smells like cinnamon(I did a quick test). But I'm a little at a loss about the amount of glycerine.

3-4 drops per ounce is enough

that comes to 3-4 drops per 30 mililiters. But what is a drop? Drop (unit) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I would think

the Imperial drop, 1/36 of a fluidram (1/288 of an Imperial fluid ounce, or 1/1440 of a gill) (approximately 99 μL).

so about 0.4(=0.099*4) ml per 30 ml.

BUT

Pharmacists have since moved to metric measurements, with a drop being rounded to exactly 0.05 mL

that equates to 0.2 ml per 30ml(half the amount).

Which is the right amount ?

And what is the problem with more/less?

cheers!

Originally Posted by BrickBag

Which is the right amount ?

And what is the problem with more/less?

cheers!

I had not measured with a syringe or anything, so precision is not known, I would say I put about two teaspoons into the 8oz flask.

More or less will not ruin it, some people change the ratio to suit their needs. Less glycerine will reduce the moisturizing properties, better for summer time. More will thicken the bayrum and make it more moisturizing, better for winter time. Ostensibly if you put enough in, it could cause your skin to blister, but as long as you stay under 1teaspoon/ounce I think you'd be safe.

Originally Posted by fccexpert

The key ingredient to "Bay Rum" is leaves from the West Indian Bay Tree. This is not the same as the bay leaves you find at your local purveyor of herbs and spices. The correct leaves are from Pimenta Racemosa, your common bay spice rack bay leaf is from Laurus Nobilis.

I've checked the ingredients on several bay rums and some of them, including Captain Smith's, use Laurus Nobilis.

I have no experience with this stuff, so I'd appreciate comments from anyone who has any knowledge about this.