Homemade Allspice Dram is an essential ingredient in the best Fall co*cktails, and now you can make this spiced liqueur yourself, right at home using rum and whole spices.
Have you heard of Allspice Dram? If you’re hitting the co*cktail scene this month chances are you’ll run into this allspice liqueur.
I had no idea it existed until I was talking with my daughter’s boyfriend about fall drinks for this series of posts. They’re now settled in Madison Wisconsin and he’s working at a very cool farm-to-table restaurant and craft bar. I figure if anyone has their finger on the pulse of current fall spirits, he does. The minute he mentioned Allspice Dram, and told me that it was an allspice infused rum liqueur, I knew I had to try it.
Allspice is a Jamaican spice— the dried fruit, or berries, of the Pimenta dioica tree.
It’s widely used in Caribbean cooking, and the name comes from the fact that the English, who first tasted it back in the 16th century, found the flavor to be a mix of cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. I think to this day a lot of people avoid buying it because in the back of their mind they think it’s just a mix of common spices.
After looking in my local stores, I hit the mega liquor store BevMo. They didn’t have any either, and it’s out of stock on their website. Turns out this is somewhat of an elusive liqueur, sometimes available, sometimes not, so many bars make their own. If you like the flavor of spiced rum, you will love this.
This recipe is slightly adapted from Serious Eats. It’s simple to put together, and the hardest part is going to be waiting for it to ‘stew’. In the meantime I put together a fun list of fall co*cktails and drinks that use Allspice Dram, below. If you love the idea of making your own liqueur, try my Homemade Pumpkin Liqueur, my Homemade Irish Cream. or my Instant Pot Limoncello!
Homemade Allspice Dram
Homemade Allspice Dram is an essential ingredient in the best Fall co*cktails, and now you can make it yourself, right at home!
Prep Time:3 days days
Cook Time:10 minutes minutes
Total Time:3 days days 10 minutes minutes
Ingredients
- 1/8 cup whole allspice berries
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 cup rum, you can use light or dark, I used dark
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
Instructions
Crush the allspice berries in a spice grinder, or with a mortar and pestle. You want them roughly cracked and crushed, don't grind them into a powder.
Put the allspice in a sealable glass jar, a mason jar is perfect.
Pour the rum in the jar, put the lid on, and give it a shake.
Let the rum sit for a day, then break up the the cinnamon stick and add it to the jar.
After 2 days, strain out the rum with a fine mesh strainer. Then put it through a coffee filter to filter out the smaller particles.
Meanwhile, bring the water and sugar to a boil in a small saucepan. Boil for 5 minutes. Let cool, then mix into the infused rum. Pour into your final bottle and let rest for 2 days before using.
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Course: Drinks
Cuisine: American
Keyword: allspice, co*cktail mixer, co*cktails, dram, rum
Nutrition
Serving: 1 · Calories: 1198 kcal · Carbohydrates: 168 g · Protein: 2 g · Fat: 3 g · Saturated Fat: 1 g · Polyunsaturated Fat: 1 g · Monounsaturated Fat: 0.2 g · Sodium: 84 mg · Potassium: 524 mg · Fiber: 8 g · Sugar: 142 g · Vitamin A: 170 IU · Vitamin C: 12 mg · Calcium: 363 mg · Iron: 4 mg
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although The View from Great Island attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.
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notes:
- This is a potent liqueur, and a little goes a long way. You won’t be guzzling this down on its own. The allspice gives it a powerful spicy kick, and the holiday-like flavors linger on your tongue.
- Recycle bottles in your kitchen, (my ‘infusing jar’ is a Classico spaghetti sauce jar) or find lots of interesting bottles here.
Fall co*cktails made with Allspice Dram:
The Boozy Mulled Cider
Northern Spy
The Soothsayer
The Pumpkin Flip
Black Wednesday
Fall Ginger Smash
Winter Waltz
The Lion’s Tail
Jalisco Pear
The Tackler
Hot Buttered Rum
Lizzie’s Pippin
Solstice
Cheers!
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FAQs
Toast the allspice berries until fragrant, about 1 minute, then roughly crush. Combine the rum and crushed allspice berries in a quart-sized glass jar, seal the lid tightly and give it a good shake. Steep for 10 days. Strain the allspice-infused rum through a fine-mesh sieve into a small saucepan and add the sugar.
What can I use in place of allspice dram? ›
Allspice dram substitute
You can make a quick substitute for allspice dram with rum, Angostura bitters, and simple syrup (equal parts sugar and water). Combine 1 oz of white rum, 3/4 oz of simple syrup and 5 dashes of Angostura bitters. Use this in place of the allspice dram in your drink recipe.
Does allspice dram go bad? ›
Store at room temperature for one to two months. It isn't going to spoil, but the flavor will change over time if you keep it too long.
What is allspice made of? ›
Allspice is the dried, unripened berry of the myrtle pepper tree, or pimento, which is native to Jamaica and much of Central America. The berries are briefly fermented, then sun-dried until brown. Often mistaken for a blend of spices, allspice is a single-ingredient seasoning with loads of unique flavor.
What are the five spices in allspice? ›
Allspice is considered a type of warm spice for its strong pungent aroma and warm and spicy taste. With this single spice, it is loaded with distinctly different flavors that are reminiscent of nutmeg, cloves, ginger, pepper, and cinnamon.
How long will allspice dram last? ›
An allspice dram made without added simple syrup at bottling can last 1 to 2 years and it can be kept on your bar. However, if an allspice dram is bottled with the simple syrup, it should be used within 1 to 2 weeks and stored in the refrigerator.
What is the closest spice to allspice? ›
While allspice is a spice on its own, not a blend, it's very easy to create a similar-tasting mixture with spices you already have in your kitchen. Whisk 3½ teaspoons ground cinnamon, 1¼ teaspoons ground nutmeg and a pinch of ground cloves, then use as a 1:1 replacement for ground allspice in a recipe.
What is the closest thing to allspice? ›
A simple combination of cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg produces a mix very similar to ground allspice. Learn how to make your own here. Combine cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves thoroughly in a small mixing bowl. Use as a 1:1 substitute for 1 tsp of allspice.
Do I need to refrigerate allspice dram? ›
Today, allspice dram is made in relatively the same manner. The flavor is best described as a combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove. The amber-colored liqueur can be stored like other liqueurs (no need to refrigerate open bottles).
Are 10 year old spices still good? ›
Ground spices lose their freshness the quickest and typically don't last past six months. The best freshness test for ground spices is to give them a whiff — if they smell like nothing, then it's time to say goodbye. Whole spices, on the other hand, can be fine for up to five years.
Spices do not expire in a way that would make you sick to consume them, however they do expire in the sense that they lose their flavor potency as they pass their peak freshness.
What does allspice dram taste like? ›
Tasting Notes
St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram presents a deep amber hue with an enticing aroma of warm spices, including cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. On the palate, it delivers a symphony of bold flavors, blending the warmth of allspice with a subtle sweetness and a hint of pepperiness.
Does allspice have side effects? ›
Allspice is considered safe in small amounts. While anecdotal evidence suggests potential side effects, such as nausea, vomiting, and drug interactions, when it's consumed in large amounts, no scientific evidence supports these claims.
What is the local name for allspice? ›
Allspice (also called Jamaica pepper, Kurundu, Myrtle pepper, pimento, allspice berries, or newspice) is a spice which is the dried unripe fruit of the Pimenta dioica plant, a tree native to the West Indies, southern Mexico and Central America.
Is allspice and 7 spice the same? ›
The short answer is no. Allspice is a combination of flavors similar to cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. It's just one of the spices that make up the Lebanese seven spices. However, some recipes will state to use ground allspice instead of this blend if you can't get your hands on it.
What is St. Elizabeth's allspice dram? ›
St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram is a traditional preparation made with smoky Jamaican pot-still rum. Famous with bourbon in the Lion's Tail. Use Allspice Dram in rum punches, as the base note of numerous tropical drinks, in mulled wine or the seasoning for sangria.
What is a dram liqueur? ›
The liqueur is made by soaking allspice berries in a rum base, which is then sweetened. Today, allspice dram is made in relatively the same manner. The flavor is best described as a combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove.
What does St Elizabeth Allspice DRAM taste like? ›
Taste: Bittersweet strong clove spice with cocoa, menthol, tongue-numbing anise and dried mint herbaceousness.
What is spice dram? ›
A staple of tropical classics, the aromatic Jamaican liqueur can add spice and depth to drinks of any style. Once an elusive ingredient known for its mention in historic recipes, allspice dram has proved itself as a versatile backbar staple in recent years.
