Quote Originally Posted by Nightblade View Post
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.