Falernum (
pronounced ) is either a syrup
liqueur
A liqueur ( , ; ) is an alcoholic drink composed of Liquor, spirits (often rectified spirit) and additional flavorings such as sugar, fruits, herbs, and spices. Often served with or after dessert, they are typically heavily sweetened and un-age ...
or a nonalcoholic syrup from the Caribbean. It is best known for its use in tropical drinks. It contains flavors of
ginger
Ginger (''Zingiber officinale'') is a flowering plant whose rhizome, ginger root or ginger, is widely used as a spice and a folk medicine. It is an herbaceous perennial that grows annual pseudostems (false stems made of the rolled bases of l ...
,
lime, and
almond
The almond (''Prunus amygdalus'', Synonym (taxonomy)#Botany, syn. ''Prunus dulcis'') is a species of tree from the genus ''Prunus''. Along with the peach, it is classified in the subgenus ''Amygdalus'', distinguished from the other subgenera ...
, and frequently
clove
Cloves are the aromatic flower buds of a tree in the family Myrtaceae, ''Syzygium aromaticum'' (). They are native to the Maluku Islands, or Moluccas, in Indonesia, and are commonly used as a spice, flavoring, or Aroma compound, fragrance in fin ...
s or
allspice. It may be thought of as a spicier version of
orgeat syrup.
The form can be
alcohol
Alcohol may refer to:
Common uses
* Alcohol (chemistry), a class of compounds
* Ethanol, one of several alcohols, commonly known as alcohol in everyday life
** Alcohol (drug), intoxicant found in alcoholic beverages
** Alcoholic beverage, an alco ...
ic (syrup liqueur) or nonalcoholic (syrup). Versions with alcohol are generally lower in proof (≈15% ABV), adding rum and emphasizing the clove, ginger, or allspice flavoring aspects for use in mixing
cocktails
A cocktail is a mixed drink, usually alcoholic. Most commonly, a cocktail is a combination of one or more spirits mixed with other ingredients, such as juices, flavored syrups, tonic water, shrubs, and bitters. Cocktails vary widely acro ...
, typically tropical or
tiki
In Māori mythology, Tiki is the first man created by either Tūmatauenga or Tāne. He found the first woman, Marikoriko, in a pond; she seduced him and he became the father of Hine-kau-ataata. By extension, a tiki is a large or small woo ...
drinks. It is also enjoyed on the rocks.
Depending on sugar content, the consistency is often thick and is therefore sometimes referred to as "velvet falernum" because of the feeling it leaves on one's tongue. Brands vary. The color can be white to light amber, and it may be clear or translucent.
History
Falernum may date back to the 18th century, when it was made as a
punch in the areas around Barbados. Some disagreement exists over the origin of the name, and whether the earliest versions would have included the steeping of almonds.
The same references also assert that earlier versions contained bitters such as wormwood. The inclusion of bitters historically would seem to be corroborated by a 1982 article appearing in ''The New York Times''.
In the literary magazine ''
All the Year Round'', owned by
Charles Dickens Jr. at the time, an unnamed author wrote of falernum in 1892, describing it as "a curious liqueur composed from rum and lime-juice".
The earliest known reference in bar manuals seems to be the 1930s. One producer claims his recipe dates to 1890, winning awards as early as 1923.
Use in cocktails
Drinks using falernum include:
*Better and Better
*Captain's Blood Cocktail
*
Chartreuse swizzle
*Corn 'n Oil (Barbados)
*Frosty Dawn
*Key Cocktail
*
Mai Tai (not
Trader Vic's)
*
Port Antonio Cocktail
*Puka Punch
*
Royal Bermuda Cocktail
*
Rum Collins (some variations)
*
Bermuda Rum Swizzle
*Saturn Cocktail
*White Lion
*
Zombie
A zombie (Haitian French: ; ; Kikongo: ''zumbi'') is a mythological undead corporeal revenant created through the reanimation of a corpse. In modern popular culture, zombies appear in horror genre works. The term comes from Haitian folkl ...
(
Don the Beachcomber's)
*
Test Pilot
A test pilot is an aircraft pilot with additional training to fly and evaluate experimental, newly produced and modified aircraft with specific maneuvers, known as flight test techniques.Stinton, Darrol. ''Flying Qualities and Flight Testin ...
(including the Jet Pilot variant)
* Trader Sam's Uh-Oa!
* Tourist n’ Sugar
* Three Dots and a Dash
See also
*
Fassionola syrup
*
List of syrups
*
Orgeat syrup
References
{{Alcoholic beverages
Sugar substitutes
Liqueurs
Barbadian cuisine
Syrup
Drink mixers
Almonds