Making your own pomegranate spiced rum is very easy to make, tastes a whole lot better than any spiced rum you can buy at the store and makes a wonderful gift for your friends and family.
If you are like me, you are down to the wire with the gift giving. I burnt myself out on baking these past few years, no pun intended, so I have been avoiding the kitchen this year. I decided to try something different a few years ago and started gifting infused booze to my friends.
Although I am not a big drinker, lots of friends appreciated my change in gifts. I’ve dabbled with pomegranate vodka and pomegranate tequila. So this year, I decided that Rum would be our poison of choice. More specifically, spiced rum.
Why you have to try this recipe
Spiced rum is a lot easier to make than you think and it requires less time than fruit infusions. There is no exact recipe, as the flavors you add is up to you and your personal taste.
It is a fun a festive way to spread holiday cheer! And it features my family’s favorite fall fruit: the pomegranate!
There is a lot of experimenting and adding this and mixing that. So have fun with it!
Ingredients you need
To start, you need a good base: a good rum. This can run the whole spectrum of choices. Since I was bottling a lot of rum, I chose a simple plain Bacardi rum in the giant size from Costco. Again, the rum you choose is up to you.
For spice flavorings, you can choose from the following:
- orange peel
- peppercorns
- cinnamon sticks
- star of anise (very strong flavor, use small segments)
- vanilla bean (split in half lengthwise)
- ginger
- cardamon pods
- cloves
- allspice berries
- freshly ground nutmeg
- smoked wood (like hickory or mesquite)
The amount of time needed for infusing is up to you and the flavor you want. This rum was ready after a couple of days because I added a large quantity to my mix. The color darkens the longer your goodies sit in the rum.
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Recipe tips and FAQs
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My tips for making your own spiced rum is to use the flavors you like, start conservatively and check your concoction regularly. If you do not want a lot of pepper kick, only add a 1-2 peppercorns.
Anise is super strong and too much will ruin your rum, as we found out! Start with small pieces and keep these stronger flavors in the rum for less time.
I loved the zing of the orange, cinnamon, cardamon, pepper and vanilla in my rum. And at the end, after the spiced rum was flavored how I liked, I added some pomegranate concentrate for a deeper, fruity touch.
So now that you have made some homemade spiced rum and/or smoked rum, what can you do with it besides sipping it or mixing cocktails? I like adding rum to my cooking and baking, as well.
And for the holidays, nothing screams Christmas like an old fashioned fruit cake. This Alton Brown Fruit cake is a favorite, with the dried fruits all soaking in rum before it is mixed in the batter and baked.
If you want more pomegranate delciousness, I have several wonderful pomegranate cocktails you try like my pomegranate mulled wine and pomegranate gin sling.
I also have a slew of pomegranate mocktails and a pomegranate shrub, too! If you haven’t noticed, my family and I love all things pomegranate so do check out all of my pomegranate recipes, savory AND sweet!
Pomegranate Spiced Rum
Ingredients
- 750 mL rum
- 1 small orange
- 2 3- inch cinnamon sticks
- 1 teaspoon peppercorns
- 6 green cardamom pods
- ½ vanilla bean cut open lengthwise
- 1 tablespoon pomegranate concentrate
Instructions
- Pour rum into a large glass container.
- Using a potato peeler, remove zest from small orange and add to the rum.
- Stir in cinnamon sticks, peppercorns, cardamom pods and vanilla bean.
- Seal container and let rum infuse in a cool dark place.
- Check the flavor of your rum after 2 days. The longer the spices sit, the more flavorful your rum will be.
- Once you are satisfied with the flavor, strain out spices and stir in pomegranate concentrate.
- Your pomegranate spiced rum is now ready to serve.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.
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Written by Laura Bashar
Hi, I’m Laura, a certified professional cook and cookbook author living in San Diego. I have been sharing my family’s favorite recipes inspired from all over the world since 2008. Let’s cook up something fun!
Wow, thanks a lot! im actually inlove with rum so im trying this asap. Really sweet blog 🙂
My husband loves rum, too, but not spiced rum. He liked making this homemade version because he could control which spices went in and how spicy it would be. Just have fun with it!
That is such a cool post!! I never knew smoked rum existed and I doubt my husband has a clue. He will be excited too to try this out, thanks so much for sharing and I wish you and your family a Merry Christmas. 🙂