How to Make Falernum No. 9 - the Homemade Tiki Syrup from Barbados (Golden Falernum)
Falernum #9 is a liqueur used in several classic Tiki drinks. It’s made with Wray & Nephew White Overproof Jamaican Rum, Ginger, Cloves, Almonds, Sugar, Water and Almond Extract. Falernum originated in Barbados, but this recipe comes from Paul Clarke and is whole-heartedly endorsed by the modern Tiki messiah, Beachbum Berry.
Falernum dates back at least to 1852 when it appeared (misspelled) in Five Years’ Residence in the West Indies by Charles William Day, but chances are it’s older than that. It comes from Barbados, but does not have a very specific definition. It usually contains ginger, almonds, cloves, lime and sugar, but it can be clear (Velvet Falernum), cloudy (Golden Falernum), boozy, non-alcoholic, so the flavor of the Falernum will vary from recipe to recipe and brand to brand.
This recipe is the one Beachbum Berry loves in his books (Beachbum Berry Remixed) and in his app (Total Tiki), Falernum No. 9 by Paul Clarke. Clarke is a spirits writer, a contributing editor to Imbibe and the proprietor of the site, the Cocktail Chronicles. He labored over this one. He went through several different drafts of this recipe, 8 others, to be exact, and landed on this one, hence the name, Falernum No. 9. This was more or less born out of necessity, because at the time (c. 2007), commercial Falernum was harder to come by.
Clarke insisted that the rich simple syrup component of this drink be made via the cold process, so no heat. He likes the taste of of the cold process syrup better in the final product. I used heat, but if you want to incrementally add sugar to your water, stir/shake and wait, be my guest. I like it just fine this way.
I chop whole almonds in the video, but feel free to use the pre-slivered, balanced, raw, almonds instead.
Even though, Falernum more plentiful now, the homemade version is still worth it as it is more nuanced and complex than its commercially produced counterparts. Cheers!
Recipe:
6 oz (180 ml) Wray & Nephew White Overproof Jamaican Rum
Zest of 9 Limes
40 Whole Cloves
1.5 oz (42.5 g) Ginger
2 tablespoons (30 ml) Blanched Almonds
0.25 tsp (1 ml) Almond Extract
14 oz (400 ml) Rich Simple Syrup
4.5 oz Lime Juice
Peel and slice ginger. Zest limes. Chop and toast almonds. Add rum, almonds, lime zest, cloves and ginger to a jar. Let steep for 24 hours. Then strain through a cheesecloth.
Juice the zested limes.
Make rich simple syrup (Clarke recommends cold-process).
Combine the almond extract, rich simple syrup and lime juice with the infused rum base. Pour into bottles. Store in the refrigerator.
Music:
Party on a Boat by Stefan Netsman
via Epidemic Sound
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Featured in this Episode:
Wray & Nephew White Overproof Jamaican Rum
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Spanish Marcona Almonds
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Wholesome Sweeteners Organic Turbinado Raw Sugar
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Whole Cloves
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Almond Extract
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Beach Bum Berry Remixed by Jeff “Beachbum” Berry
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Bar Tools:
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