No, Rum Jerk is not my nickname. Although at times…. Anyway Rum Jerk is rum for those that like it HOT! I learned of infusing liqueur when someone infused whiskey with habanero peppers to play a joke at a guy’s night poker game. After all the Ha Ha’s the whiskey was left behind (at my house) and well… I LIKED IT. So I personalized the concept to my taste. Being a Rum man I decide to go with a Caribbean theme. Caribbean Red Peppers are very similar in shape to habanero’s but deep red and twice as hot. 400,000 Scoville verses 200,000. That sounds insane but really the heat transferred to the liquor is a function of time submerged while infusing, as is the flavors. So the length of time Mango, Cinnamon, Hot Peppers etc. are left submerged, the more of that flavor or heat is in the final taste. I tried quite a few combos with various Caribbean ingredient’s but found I liked this simple recipe.
Tools needed; (Amazon, Amazon, Amazon)
2-liter Glass canning jar. (If you want to do a 750ML bottle)
1-gallon pitcher
Plastic Coffee filter holder. (The thing that holds the paper filter in a commercial coffee maker)
Paper coffee filter. Or several inside each other if you try something like raspberry’s. (They clog the paper so you slide out the top one allowing the liquid to poor into the one below.)
A funnel.
Ingredient’s;
3 Caribbean Red Peppers. (Or Scotch Bonnet, Habanero, etc.)
16-20 inches of Cinnamon Stick. (I used to use 3 6in sticks but now all I can find is 4in.)
1 750ML bottle of Spiced Rum.
*****WARNING! *****
Use hot pepper precautions and wear latex gloves! If Capsaicin oil (the invisible hot stuff of peppers) touches sensitive areas on your face or below your waist, the burning will make you very, very, very sorry. Capsaicin is an oil, if you get it on your fingers it does not wash off easily. Hours later you could touch said areas and experience said results. Wash knives, cutting board etc. with grease fighting dish soap then discard the gloves.
Method;
As stated, the time submerged equals the amount of flavor transferred. So for instance, mango is a mild flavor compared to hot peppers or Cinnamon. So to get it to come thru I would slice some of it up and put it in a few days before the others. You get the idea. Ultimately I preferred the simpler flavors of just the Cinnamon, the Pepper, and the heat.
Slice the peppers twice into 4 quarters from the bottom toward the top leaving them all connected at the stem. (This exposes the white inner membrane where the majority of the Capsaicin is at.)
Put the peppers, Cinnamon and Rum into the Jar. (Save your Rum bottle!)
Leave for 3 days, shaking or swirling occasionally.
Put the filter in the holder, the holder on the pitcher and poor your infused rum thru it.
Put the funnel on your saved rum bottle, poor the rum back in the bottle.
ENJOY!
More tips. Don’t “sip†your Rum Jerk like some folks sip a cup of coffee. Drawing in a little air as the liquid reaches your lips atomizes the beverage. Fine for coffee, but amplifies the effect of the Capsaicin on your taste buds. YOWSA!
Use Rum Jerk in any of your favorite cocktail’s that are based on Rum.
I’ll upload my twist on the Mojito I call the Mojave in the future. Stay tuned!
Tools needed; (Amazon, Amazon, Amazon)
2-liter Glass canning jar. (If you want to do a 750ML bottle)
1-gallon pitcher
Plastic Coffee filter holder. (The thing that holds the paper filter in a commercial coffee maker)
Paper coffee filter. Or several inside each other if you try something like raspberry’s. (They clog the paper so you slide out the top one allowing the liquid to poor into the one below.)
A funnel.
Ingredient’s;
3 Caribbean Red Peppers. (Or Scotch Bonnet, Habanero, etc.)
16-20 inches of Cinnamon Stick. (I used to use 3 6in sticks but now all I can find is 4in.)
1 750ML bottle of Spiced Rum.
*****WARNING! *****
Use hot pepper precautions and wear latex gloves! If Capsaicin oil (the invisible hot stuff of peppers) touches sensitive areas on your face or below your waist, the burning will make you very, very, very sorry. Capsaicin is an oil, if you get it on your fingers it does not wash off easily. Hours later you could touch said areas and experience said results. Wash knives, cutting board etc. with grease fighting dish soap then discard the gloves.
Method;
As stated, the time submerged equals the amount of flavor transferred. So for instance, mango is a mild flavor compared to hot peppers or Cinnamon. So to get it to come thru I would slice some of it up and put it in a few days before the others. You get the idea. Ultimately I preferred the simpler flavors of just the Cinnamon, the Pepper, and the heat.
Slice the peppers twice into 4 quarters from the bottom toward the top leaving them all connected at the stem. (This exposes the white inner membrane where the majority of the Capsaicin is at.)
Put the peppers, Cinnamon and Rum into the Jar. (Save your Rum bottle!)
Leave for 3 days, shaking or swirling occasionally.
Put the filter in the holder, the holder on the pitcher and poor your infused rum thru it.
Put the funnel on your saved rum bottle, poor the rum back in the bottle.
ENJOY!
More tips. Don’t “sip†your Rum Jerk like some folks sip a cup of coffee. Drawing in a little air as the liquid reaches your lips atomizes the beverage. Fine for coffee, but amplifies the effect of the Capsaicin on your taste buds. YOWSA!
Use Rum Jerk in any of your favorite cocktail’s that are based on Rum.
I’ll upload my twist on the Mojito I call the Mojave in the future. Stay tuned!
Comment