Homemade Allspice Dram Recipe (2024)

Homemade Allspice Dram is an essential ingredient in the best Fall co*cktails, and now you can make this spiced liqueur yourself, right at home using rum and whole spices.

Homemade Allspice Dram Recipe (1)

Have you heard of Allspice Dram? If you’re hitting the co*cktail scene this month chances are you’ll run into this allspice liqueur.

I had no idea it existed until I was talking with my daughter’s boyfriend about fall drinks for this series of posts. They’re now settled in Madison Wisconsin and he’s working at a very cool farm-to-table restaurant and craft bar. I figure if anyone has their finger on the pulse of current fall spirits, he does. The minute he mentioned Allspice Dram, and told me that it was an allspice infused rum liqueur, I knew I had to try it.

Homemade Allspice Dram Recipe (2)

Allspice is a Jamaican spice— the dried fruit, or berries, of the Pimenta dioica tree.

It’s widely used in Caribbean cooking, and the name comes from the fact that the English, who first tasted it back in the 16th century, found the flavor to be a mix of cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. I think to this day a lot of people avoid buying it because in the back of their mind they think it’s just a mix of common spices.

Homemade Allspice Dram Recipe (3)

St Elizabeth’s Allspice Dram can be hard to find.

After looking in my local stores, I hit the mega liquor store BevMo. They didn’t have any either, and it’s out of stock on their website. Turns out this is somewhat of an elusive liqueur, sometimes available, sometimes not, so many bars make their own. If you like the flavor of spiced rum, you will love this.

Homemade Allspice Dram Recipe (4)

This recipe is slightly adapted from Serious Eats. It’s simple to put together, and the hardest part is going to be waiting for it to ‘stew’. In the meantime I put together a fun list of fall co*cktails and drinks that use Allspice Dram, below. If you love the idea of making your own liqueur, try my Homemade Pumpkin Liqueur, my Homemade Irish Cream. or my Instant Pot Limoncello!

Homemade Allspice Dram Recipe (5)

Homemade Allspice Dram

3.46 from 79 votes

Homemade Allspice Dram is an essential ingredient in the best Fall co*cktails, and now you can make it yourself, right at home!

Print RecipeRate Recipe

Prep Time:3 days days

Cook Time:10 minutes minutes

Total Time:3 days days 10 minutes minutes

Servings: 3 cups

Ingredients

  • 1/8 cup whole allspice berries
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1 cup rum, you can use light or dark, I used dark
  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • 2/3 cup brown sugar

Instructions

  • Crush the allspice berries in a spice grinder, or with a mortar and pestle. You want them roughly cracked and crushed, don't grind them into a powder.

  • Put the allspice in a sealable glass jar, a mason jar is perfect.

  • Pour the rum in the jar, put the lid on, and give it a shake.

  • Let the rum sit for a day, then break up the the cinnamon stick and add it to the jar.

  • After 2 days, strain out the rum with a fine mesh strainer. Then put it through a coffee filter to filter out the smaller particles.

  • Meanwhile, bring the water and sugar to a boil in a small saucepan. Boil for 5 minutes. Let cool, then mix into the infused rum. Pour into your final bottle and let rest for 2 days before using.

NEW FEATURE! Click here to add your own private notes.

Course: Drinks

Cuisine: American

Author: Sue Moran

Keyword: allspice, co*cktail mixer, co*cktails, dram, rum

Nutrition

Serving: 1 · Calories: 1198 kcal · Carbohydrates: 168 g · Protein: 2 g · Fat: 3 g · Saturated Fat: 1 g · Polyunsaturated Fat: 1 g · Monounsaturated Fat: 0.2 g · Sodium: 84 mg · Potassium: 524 mg · Fiber: 8 g · Sugar: 142 g · Vitamin A: 170 IU · Vitamin C: 12 mg · Calcium: 363 mg · Iron: 4 mg

Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although The View from Great Island attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.

Did You Make This?We love seeing what you've made! Tag us on social media at @theviewfromgreatisland for a chance to be featured.

notes:

  • This is a potent liqueur, and a little goes a long way. You won’t be guzzling this down on its own. The allspice gives it a powerful spicy kick, and the holiday-like flavors linger on your tongue.
  • Recycle bottles in your kitchen, (my ‘infusing jar’ is a Classico spaghetti sauce jar) or find lots of interesting bottles here.

Homemade Allspice Dram Recipe (7)

Fall co*cktails made with Allspice Dram:

The Boozy Mulled Cider
Northern Spy
The Soothsayer
The Pumpkin Flip
Black Wednesday
Fall Ginger Smash
Winter Waltz
The Lion’s Tail
Jalisco Pear
The Tackler
Hot Buttered Rum
Lizzie’s Pippin
Solstice

Cheers!

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  • Beverages
  • Fall

Homemade Allspice Dram Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is allspice dram made of? ›

The liqueur is made by soaking allspice berries in a rum base, which is then sweetened. Today, allspice dram is made in relatively the same manner. The flavor is best described as a combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove.

What can I use in place of allspice dram? ›

Allspice dram substitute

You can make a quick substitute for allspice dram with rum, Angostura bitters, and simple syrup (equal parts sugar and water). Combine 1 oz of white rum, 3/4 oz of simple syrup and 5 dashes of Angostura bitters. Use this in place of the allspice dram in your drink recipe.

How long does allspice dram last? ›

An allspice dram made without added simple syrup at bottling can last 1 to 2 years and it can be kept on your bar. However, if an allspice dram is bottled with the simple syrup, it should be used within 1 to 2 weeks and stored in the refrigerator.

How do you make a dram? ›

Heat a heavy skillet over low heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Toast the allspice berries until fragrant, about 1 minute, then roughly crush. Combine the rum and crushed allspice berries in a quart-sized glass jar, seal the lid tightly and give it a good shake. Steep for 10 days.

What are the five spices in allspice? ›

Allspice is considered a type of warm spice for its strong pungent aroma and warm and spicy taste. With this single spice, it is loaded with distinctly different flavors that are reminiscent of nutmeg, cloves, ginger, pepper, and cinnamon.

What is St. Elizabeth's allspice dram? ›

St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram is a traditional preparation made with smoky Jamaican pot-still rum.

What is the closest spice to allspice? ›

Substitutes for Allspice include using a combination of cloves, nutmeg, and cinnamon as well as similar spice blends such as pumpkin pie spice (with some added pepper to achieve the savory notes of allspice) or apple pie spice.

What pairs well with allspice dram? ›

The classic pairing for allspice dram is rum—rum is the liqueur's base, after all. Here, we're presenting that pairing in a classic sour—citrus, sugar and egg white.

Is pimento dram the same as allspice dram? ›

Allspice dram is a simple liqueur flavored with allspice berries. It's also known as pimento dram, because allspice is a berry from the pimento tree. (But pimento makes most people think of olives, so I don't like to call it that.)

Can you use too much allspice? ›

Allspice is considered safe in small amounts. While anecdotal evidence suggests potential side effects, such as nausea, vomiting, and drug interactions, when it's consumed in large amounts, no scientific evidence supports these claims.

Does Kahlua go bad? ›

For Kahlúa Original, we recommend a shelf life of 4 years. Actually, the product will be good for many more years, but the coffee impact fades over time so it won't give you the full flavor impact. Also, if you were to receive an old bottle of Kahlúa, you have to make sure it has never been opened or tampered with.

Why does chambord turn brown? ›

Once opened, drink the liqueur within six months to a year and keep the bottle sealed. If exposed to too much air, Chambord will oxidize and get an orangish-brown color. That, and any signs of sugar crystallization, is a good sign that it's time to replace the bottle.

What is in allspice dram? ›

That all changed in 2008, when Haus Alpenz began importing an Austrian-made version called St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram, a simple mixture of allspice, raw sugar and Jamaican pot still rum.

Why do they call it a DRAM? ›

Where does the term 'dram' come from? A 'dram' originates from the term 'drakhme', the Ancient Greek name for coins or treasure.

How much powder is in a DRAM? ›

An ounce consisted of 437.5 grains, thus making the dram approximately 27.34 grains.

What is allspice powder made of? ›

Allspice is the dried, unripened berry of the myrtle pepper tree, or pimento, which is native to Jamaica and much of Central America. The berries are briefly fermented, then sun-dried until brown. Often mistaken for a blend of spices, allspice is a single-ingredient seasoning with loads of unique flavor.

What is a good substitute for allspice? ›

Substitutes for Allspice include using a combination of cloves, nutmeg, and cinnamon as well as similar spice blends such as pumpkin pie spice (with some added pepper to achieve the savory notes of allspice) or apple pie spice.

What does Jamaican allspice have in it? ›

The dried unripe berries of Pimenta Dioica [(L)Merr] are termed Allspice. It is also called Jamaican pepper, Pimenta or Newspice. A native plant from the Caribbean island Jamaica, P. dioica belongs to the family Myrtaceae.

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