The Best Spices To Used For Spiced Rum

Whether you're on island time, trying to create a signature cocktail for your next dinner party, or adding rum to your eggnog this winter, having the culinary prowess to create a good spiced rum in your own kitchen (or bar) is a skill worth its weight in pirate's booty. Unlike your white rums, golden rums, or Navy rums, a spiced rum is a rum that's been flavored with spices, such as star anise, vanilla, cinnamon and sometimes darkened with molasses or caramel color. The base is up to you or the purveyor of said spirit.

The beauty of a spiced rum is that it can be enjoyed on its own or mixed with something else, including, as we mentioned, eggnog. It also works beautifully in a classic rum and coke, daiquiri, dark and stormy, or piña colada. Making it on your own, though, means knowing exactly what spices are best for your personal rum.

Vanilla

First and foremost, you'll find vanilla in nearly every spiced rum recipe. Vanilla beans, which come from orchid-like plants, are pods that are picked and then dried until they're shriveled and brown. To use them, cut gently down the middle of the stalk and use your knife to remove the tiny vanilla beans within.

The sweet, slightly smoky, earthy, and floral flavor of fresh vanilla is difficult to replicate and works well with the sweet undertones in some rums. In a pinch, you could use real vanilla extract, but it won't have quite the same effect. To deepen the flavor, you can char your beans. When adding vanilla to your rum, simply add the beans after removing them from the pod.

Cinnamon

Cinnamon, which comes from the bark of cinnamon trees, is available in two distinct varieties: Cassia and Ceylon. Cassia cinnamon is bolder, spicier, and grows primarily in southeast Asia. Ceylon cinnamon is a bit tougher to find but has a more delicate flavor profile. It's a bit more floral and a bit sweeter, and it has notes of spice. It grows primarily in Sri Lanka. Cassia cinnamon is the best choice for your spiced rum, as the spice will be more notable in your brew.

Since cinnamon is available in a variety of form — powder, bark, and sticks — it's important to choose the right one for your rum. Your rum needs to be steeped for a few days to take on the flavors of your spices, and the best route for punching up the cinnamon flavor is to use sticks. You can break the larger sticks and throw them into your rum, or you can use a steeper to more easily fish them out later.

Cloves

Whole cloves — yes, the things you stick in your fancy ham at Christmas — are another must-have in your spiced rum recipe. These strong-tasting tree buds hail primarily from India, Madagascar, and Indonesia. They're dried and frequently used whole in sachets for elixirs and teas, but they can also be seen in warming blends for everything from pumpkin pie spice to garam masala and tagine spices.

Cloves are pretty strong — pungent, even. They bring a bit of sweetness, a little bitterness, and a numbing sensation to the table ... er, bottle. Keeping them whole in your spiced recipe is important, as is using only a few of them — maybe three to four, tops. Grinding or cutting them will only release more oils and make your rum too one-note. Add them to a steeper and remove them as soon as your rum is done.

Other options

Aside from the three main players of cinnamon, vanilla, and cloves, recipes abound with different varieties of warm spices you can add to your spiced rum. Several mention using freshly grated nutmeg, which brings a warming taste and notes of nuttiness, sweetness, and even a little citrus. Plus, it's pretty easy to find whole nutmeg, and it's a little bit fun to grate.

Allspice is another option. These tiny dried berries can be used as a swap for other warming spices, including cinnamon and cloves, as allspice has a similar flavor profile with a bit less sweetness. You can use the whole berries in a steeper alongside your other spices. Black peppercorns appear in still other brews to give the rum a depth of flavor, a little heat, and notes of citrus and pine. Whatever spices you end up using in your homebrew, make it your own, experiment, and have fun.

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