falernum is a traditional liqueur from Barbados. Though recipes vary, falernum is historically rum-, sugar-, and lime-based, with the addition of Caribbean spices such as cloves, ginger, and nutmeg. Almonds are sometimes added. Rum traders in Barbados in the early twentieth century often bottled their own falernum alongside their rum brands. In addition to its use in Planter’s Punches and other drinks such as the traditional Corn ’n’ Oil (rum, falernum, and bitters) and Green Swizzle (rum, lime, falernum, and wormwood bitters), falernum is also used in baking and other cooking. See Green Swizzle. Falernum is a key ingredient in many exotic cocktails, including historical examples from the 1930s and 1940s such as the Three Dots and a Dash and the Test Pilot, and is a mainstay in modern tiki bars.
See also Planter’s Punch; tiki; and tropical drink.
“News of Food; Israeli Red Wine Arriving for Passover-Falernum Syrup Good in Drinks, Meals.” New York Times, March 15, 1954.
Pariser, Harry S. Explore Barbados, San Francisco: Manatee, 2000.
Swizzle Stick [pseud.]. Letter, “The Green Swizzle of the Tropics.” New York Sun, October 26, 1903, 4.
By: Martin Cate