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velvet falernum=mistake |
pablus
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jul 23, 2003
Posts: 2146
From: www.crazedmugs.com
|  Posted: 2005-05-24 1:36 pm Permalink
If you'll continue to search the archives, which obviously you did to dredge up this one, you'll find a taste test of the 4 available Falernums by some well-traveled palates.
After tasting we mixed test pilots with the Sazeracs.
Also - there is a topic which has a decent recipe for creating your own which approximates a combination of the Sazeracs and the Velvet.
As always, it's a matter of personal taste and my taste says the Fee Bros. is too tart. Perhaps if I cut back on lime juice it would balance out better.
The Sazeracs is tart as well, but a full flavor. Hail Kava King for his generous gift of such to me, his humble servant.
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Kukoae
Tiki Centralite
Joined: Apr 26, 2005
Posts: 37
From: The Valley
| Posted: 2005-05-24 10:21 pm Permalink
Quote:
| On 2005-05-24 13:36, pablus wrote:
As always, it's a matter of personal taste and my taste says the Fee Bros. is too tart. Perhaps if I cut back on lime juice it would balance out better.
The Sazeracs is tart as well, but a full flavor. Hail Kava King for his generous gift of such to me, his humble servant.
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Excellent. I think I snagged a peek there, and there was some mention that a 50/50 mixture of the Fees + JD Taylor came pretty close to the Sazerac Falernum.
Would you say that's reasonable?
=Kukoae=
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twowheelin'tiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 28, 2002
Posts: 712
From: santa monica
| Posted: 2005-05-30 9:50 pm Permalink
too funny that this thread is still going. I was just bitching about how foul this "velvet" crap is yesterday!.
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JerseyRED
Tiki Centralite
Joined: Jun 15, 2004
Posts: 54
From: North Jersey!
| Posted: 2005-08-02 11:57 am Permalink
And it's back, again. But you can thank Humuhumu for mentioning this (and other) previous posts in the Slack Key post. Well, at least that's what got me to poking around.
And then I came across this posting which refers to a recipe from the eGullet board. The fine thing about this post is that you'll be able to learn from other's "mistakes" as the basic ingredients for homemade Falernum seem to be quite easy. Be sure to read the comments for additional information.
Slakethirst Blog
Paul of The Cocktail Chronicles (also the Paul in the comments) attempt at Falernum:
Cocktail Chronicles Blog
Original eGullet recipe:
eGullet Falernum Recipe
I have not attempted to acquire any John D. Taylor’s “Velvet Falernum”, but I do plan on seeing if my local liquor store can order it. From there I think I’ll attempt to make my own adding or subtracting items or flavors that I feel either enhance or detract from my homemade product.
Good reading all, Rich
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pablus
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jul 23, 2003
Posts: 2146
From: www.crazedmugs.com
| Posted: 2005-08-02 4:34 pm Permalink
Yeah, that's where I got the original attempt at creating a homemade bottle of Falernum.
However, I have a recipe here that I posted previously that is much closer to the Sazeracs.
-----------------------
Having the John Taylor's around helped make this one much better.
I'll get even better on the next batch:
zest from 3 limes
juice from small lime
24 cloves
1/8 TSP almond extract
1 cup white rum
Put all of these into a container and cover and let sit for 24 hours.
Strain out the mixture and add 2 3/4 cups of Rock Candy Syrup.
Add 3 level Tablespoons of cloves and whip into mixture.
Let sit 12 hours.
Strain and enjoy.
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STILL not as clove-y as the Taylor's.
But closer.
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JerseyRED
Tiki Centralite
Joined: Jun 15, 2004
Posts: 54
From: North Jersey!
| Posted: 2005-08-03 05:34 am Permalink
Thanks for the info! I'm going to give your recipe a go before the others.
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The Gnomon
Grand Member (5 years) 
Joined: May 01, 2007
Posts: 1276
From: MD-DC-VA
| Posted: 2007-10-04 09:10 am Permalink
So I guess from the forgoing (which had foregone quite some time ago), that this...
... would not be a waste of money.
As many of you know, I prefer to make my own stuff and, though I'll probably like my own falernum better, I don't use it that much. I'm inclined to use someone elses ready-made if it's good and then make my own when I'm in the mood for fresh cloves and lime zest. Hmm. I think I might be getting there as we speak (... err...um....type/read).
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TikiJosh
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Feb 01, 2005
Posts: 735 | Posted: 2007-10-04 12:10 pm Permalink
I've used vf before in a drink-- thought it was way too overpowering. I think it was Martiki that said they use it more during the holidays because of the extra spice? Damn straight there's extra spice in that!
I almost choked putting 1/4oz in a drink! I've found that when using VF, if you are going to, that the best way to cut down on the spice overload is to use very little in the drink. If it calls for 1/4oz, try using a teaspoon or something. I mean, you can always add more if you don't get enough. Add too much though, and your drink is toast. The falernum is all you'll taste.
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irishf
Tiki Centralite
Joined: Aug 19, 2007
Posts: 97
From: Athens, Georgia
| Posted: 2007-10-04 2:25 pm Permalink
I like Taylor's Velvet Falernum, tastes good to me. Maybe I'm a plebian?
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Tiki_Cincy_Craig
Tiki Centralite
Joined: Nov 05, 2007
Posts: 14
From: Cincinnati, Ohio
| Posted: 2007-11-07 10:32 pm Permalink
Dale DeGroff, High Preist of the Classic Cocktail, hardily reccomends the John Taylor D. Velvet Falernum. For what it's worth/
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Chip and Andy
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jul 13, 2004
Posts: 2079
From: Corner table, Molokai Lounge, Mai-Kai.
| Posted: 2007-11-08 04:47 am Permalink
Quote:
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On 2007-10-04 14:25, irishf wrote:
I like Taylor's Velvet Falernum, tastes good to me. Maybe I'm a plebian?
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I'm with you, Irishf. I like Taylor's Velvet. Rich, smooth, spicey, plays well with most cocktails.
I am super jealous, Gnomon, that you can get it off the shelf like that. I had to order mine from the internet.
And if you want to make your own it is super easy. It is not fast if you want to do it right, but worth the effort.
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The Mayor Of Exotica
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Oct 09, 2005
Posts: 392
From: Boston
| Posted: 2007-11-08 10:10 am Permalink
I have used Fee's and the Velvet; haven't got used to the swing of the Velvet yet, but it has a much better taste on its own. The Fee's is gummy, but plays well with others. The Velvet has much more flavor, and is a cleaner taste. Is this closer to the ingredient in older recipes?
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HJ
Member
Joined: Sep 09, 2010
Posts: 1 | Posted: 2010-09-09 9:01 pm Permalink
Quote:
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On 2003-07-29 00:26, twowheelin'tiki wrote:
1)fee bros is GREAT. 2)davinci is ok. 3)velvet falernum sucks!. Are we clear?.
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I think a few people are getting confused, myself included, with respect to Velvet Falernum because there are two different brands that use velvet in the name. There is the heralded original Falernum from Barbados made by John D. Taylor and there is straight Velvet Falernum that was recently created by Dale DeGroff. See here:
http://www.kingcocktail.com/Falenm-release.htm
I've heard Fee's is great and also that it is too tart. Has anyone compared JD Taylors and DeGroffs "velvet" ? Anyone tried all three?
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CincyTikiCraig
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 31, 2009
Posts: 328
From: Cincinnati, Ohio USA
| Posted: 2010-09-12 2:08 pm Permalink
FYI-In Sippin Safari & Remixed, Da Bum recommends Fee Brothers:
"we've found that Fee Brother's works best in vintage tropical drinks"
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CucamongaChango
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jul 13, 2008
Posts: 264
From: Denver, CO
| Posted: 2010-09-12 4:04 pm Permalink
I don't like the Fee's because of the corn syrup.
It's kinda gross.
I use the Taylor Velvet and it tastes pretty damn good.
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