There is a local wine store here in Maryland that has been holding spirits tastings over the past few months, letting people try different vodkas, gins, rums, etc.  In a recent tasting I was introduced to a new liqueur called Velvet Falernum – a rum based liqueur from Barbados.  It is sweet but has a unique spice flavor to it, apparently from cloves and other herbs.  It is a unique and very good taste that I really like.

I have developed a winter-time taste for rum based Manhattans using a dark rum, a good sweet vermouth (such as Dolin) and old fashioned bitters.  So I decided to try my favorite Manhattan with Velvet Falernum to see what would happen.  Ummmm!  It was a great change of pace.

The Velvet Falernum was sweeter than the vermouth I usually use, so I had to dial back the amount.  And since the Velvet Falernum had some spice flavors, I also cut back on the amount of bitters used.  Here is the recipe I used:

• 1.5 ounces of dark rum (I used Blackwell Jamaican Black Gold Special Reserve)
• 1 to .75 ounces of Velvet Falernum liqueur (use 1 oz if you like sweet drinks, if you like less, go with the .75)
• 7 dashes old fashioned bitters (I used The Bitter Truth Old Fashioned Bitters, my favorite)
• Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice and shake
• Pour into a martini glass and enjoy!

I have been trying to come up with other uses for the Velvet Falernum and found several on the Internet that look promising.  I think it would also be a good addition to a Mojito, used in place of the sugar syrup.  I plan to try that as soon as the fresh mint is available.

Tim