I have seen the bay rum ingredients floating around on B&B and AOM websites and was wondering, has anyone tried the recipe listed without adding anything to it and how did it turn out? I also noticed someone switched vodka for ever clear. Did this make a huge improvement over the old recipe and would it make any difference if I only use the EO of P. Racemosa instead of bay leaves? I understand the rums there to extract the oil but what is the vodka/ever clear for (wild guess antiseptic). Any and all help would be appreciated.
About bay rum mixtures
- Thread starter Deadlyapollo
- Start date
My AS contain isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol, not ethanol (drinking). Is it a common practice in homemade AS?
Are you sure about that? Most commercial splashes that I have use "SD Alcohol 40" or another variant of SD Alcohol. The "SD stands for "Special Denatured", which means that a bittering agent (usually Bitrex) has been added to the ethyl alcohol to make it extremely unpalateable to drink, circumventing the federal tax on spirits. I have not found an AS yet which uses isopropyl alcohol.
Alt Innsbruck contains isopropyl alcohol, behind "Alcohol Denat." and "Aqua". Too much isopropyl would probably spoil the scent, though.
when making DIY aftershave, definitely use everclear over vodka. when making bay rum, use as high a proof rum as possible. for my latest batch, i used Sailor Jerry (80 proof). for the next batch, i will try to get a hold of cpt morgan (100 proof). if you have the means and ability to get a hold of actual pimenta racemosa leaves, by all means use them. if not, do what everyone else does and stick with the essential oil!
good luck!
good luck!
Krampert's bay rum is apparently based on isopropyl alcohol. I haven't tried it, so I don't know how the scent is affected.
http://www.krampertsfinest.com/?page=products
http://www.krampertsfinest.com/?page=products
- Thread starter
- #7
So if I'm just using EO, does the rum play a significant part other than added scent so wouldn't proof be moot in this case? Also, what part does the ever clear/vodka play in this mixture?
for my part, the rum adds color and a layer of fragrance. i don't use much. the everclear is the main ingredient and is there for it's antiseptic / evaporating qualities.
for every cup of everclear, i only use 3-4 tbsps of rum.
for me, proof is a big deal. it's the difference between a bracing aftershave and a watery one.
I followed the recipe from AOM to a T, except for substituting Bay leafs with EO (3 drops to be exact). The result was a citrusy bay rum. The smell is good, but I suggest adding less orange and 1 more stick of cinnamon if you like it a little spicier.
- Thread starter
- #10
Awesome just what I was looking for! Thanks
This is good to know, I'm thinking of doing that recipe, but also considering adding whole clove and maybe black pepper, but don't have a clue on how much. I think I might also add a few drops of glycerin. I like th idea of extra cinnamon.
