Making rum at home can take around 4-10 days at home.

Ingredients

  • 5 lbs. of molasses
  • 20 liters distilled water
  • 5 lbs. of processed sugar
  • 5 grams hydrated yeast
  • More water to dilute the final product

Step 1: Pour The 20 Liters of Water into A Clean Boiler.

Everything should be clean before you begin your project. Any slightest bit of dirt in the boiler can end up ruining everything. Therefore, before you add the water to the boiler, make sure you are working on a clean area with the purest ingredients.

Wash then dip all utensils that you will use in boiling water. After that, turn off the heat, then soak the barrel or pot in the near-boiling water. Then pour the water. Doing this will assist in killing off all the harmful germs.

Step 2: Dissolve The Molasses and Sugar in Water.

Under medium heat, mix the molasses and sugar in the 20 liters’ water, then dissolve. Sugar dissolves in water quickly compared to molasses. Molasses is sticky, so it will take more time to dissolve in the water fully. Be careful not to boil the water, then keep on heating until you see bubbles forming. Then turn off the burner.

Step 3: Now Cool the Solution

After turning off the burner, now cool the solution to 82 degrees Fahrenheit, then add yeast. You can first try 1 liter of the solution in a clean jug, then dissolve the yeast inside the jug. Once the mixture starts to foam up, do the same with the remaining wort.

Step 4: Ferment The Solution

now allow the mixture to ferment at 77 degrees F until you don’t see any other airlock bubbles on the pot. The yeast on the solution requires heat to transform the sugar into alcohol. Therefore, you should keep the room artificially heated or even store the wash in a warm place.

The airlock on the mouth of the pot forces carbon dioxide out and prevents oxygen from getting in. this process should take up to 3 days until you stop seeing bubbles on the airlock. The airlock is an essential feature when fermenting the rum. You can buy one although it’s expensive or even construct one for yourself.

Either way, make sure the airlock is fitted properly on the pot, and oxygen shouldn’t move inside. The reason being, yeast feeds on oxygen coming from the sugar particles and spits out carbon dioxide. Therefore, if the yeast in the container will receive a constant oxygen supply, it won’t scavenge the oxygen from the sugar molecules effectively.

Step 5: Wait for Seven Days

Immediately the airlock stops bubbling, allow the mash solution to sit uninterrupted for seven days. You can test its readiness using a hydrometer. This equipment measures the ratio of water density to the density of the liquid.

Ensure that you measure at least once per day. Take a sample of the mash out from the container, then transfer to a graduated cylinder. Then float the hydrometer on the same cylinder as you carefully swirl the cylinder to get rid of bubbles.

When the readings turn out the same for three days consecutively on the hydrometer, then you are ready to distill the wash. You can knock down the yeast by lowering the temperature.

Step 6: Knockdown The Yeast

At this time, your yeast may still be floating on the wash. If you allow the yeast to get in the still during the distillation process can result in bad flavors and smell. Move the mash to a cooler place if you want to eliminate off the yeast on the lower side of the mash for up to 2 days.

Now you are free to siphon the wash directly on the still then preserve some of the yeast for the next project in the fridge.

Step 7: The Distillation Process

Put a collection vessel beneath the distillate valve to hold the alcohol solution. Ensure that all connections are fit and properly sealed as well. Then connect a water source to the input coolant to cool the hot alcohol coming from the pot.

As the alcohol vapor cools, it changes into liquid ethanol. The liquid ethanol will finally drip from the condenser to the vessel beneath the distillate.

Step 8: Siphon The Solution to The Still

Ensure you siphon the mash properly and don’t interfere with the bottom side where the yeast is gathered—siphoning functions by placing the shorter leg inside the jar on top and the longer leg on the container below. The liquid is forced to move up along the shorter leg to the longer leg using atmospheric pressure.

Now start boiling the solution slowly. When making rum, a slow boil is always preferred. You don’t have to crank it up. Start by running cold water immediately, the solution hits 140 degrees Celsius. The solution starts distilling once clear liquid drops begin to exit the spout.

Step 9: Pour The First 100ml Clear Liquid.

The first clear alcohol to be collected is called “heads,” and is always discarded for safety purposes. It has volatile methanol that can be harmful when consumed. It’s better to prevent it. After that, collect the other 3-4 liter of distillate coming out. Immediately the temperature hits 96 °C; stop collecting.

Step 10: Finally, Turn Off the Heat Source.

How to Make Rum Balls

Ingredients

  • Chopped nuts
  • Sprinkles
  • Cocoa powder
  • Chocolate sprinkles
  • coconut
  • Three tablespoons heavy cream
  • 2 cups of finely chopped walnuts
  • 3 cups of finely crushed Oreos

Instructions

  • Begin by combining the crushed walnuts, Oreos, and cream inside a medium-sized bowl, then mix thoroughly.
  • Next, add rum. Start with a ¼ cup, then add more to come up with a consistency that will hold its shape properly when you roll it. If you wish to add more rum while they are still soft, be sure to add cookie crumbs to arrive at the desired consistency. Crumbs soak the liquids as they settle.
  • Using a melon baller or a small scoop, scoop the dough, then roll into small balls.
  • Then roll in sprinkles. Finally, refrigerate the rum balls before serving them.

How to Make This Rum Cake

Making a rum cake has several steps that are easy to follow. Here is a simple step-by-step guide on how to prepare the cake.

  • Cream together the sugar and butter. You can mix the two for 5 minutes until it’s fluffy and forms a light color. This will accommodate more air to the cake batter that will finally provide you with a lighter crumb.
  • Next, add the vanilla, egg yolk, and the eggs. It’s essential to mix these at once to have a proper consistency.
  • With that done, whisk all the dry ingredients together. Dry ingredients include salt, baking powder, and cake flour.
  • Then whisk the rum and buttermilk together. Buttermilk helps in keeping the cake soft and moist. You can also use dark rum too, but spiced or gold rum is the best. You can also alternate mixing the dry ingredients to the wet ones using the butter rum mixture.
  • Now spray the pan properly using a non-stick spray. Please be careful not to skimp on the cooking spray. After that, sprinkle some chopped nuts on top of the pan before you add batter. The nuts provide a sweet taste and prevent the cake from sticking to the pan.
  • Transfer the batter to the pan, then start baking for 45-55 minutes.
  • Immediately the cake is ready, place it on a cooling rack to cool as you prepare the rum glaze. Use granulated sugar, unsalted butter, water, ram, and pure vanilla extract.

How to Make Rum Raisin Ice Cream

What you’ll need

  • 1 cup raisins
  • Sugar
  • 4 ounces’ amber or dark rum
  • Whipping cream
  • 1 tbsp. pure vanilla
  • Whole milk
  • Six egg yolks

Instructions

  • Begin by soaking the raisins in an airtight container overnight. You can use a mason jar to help you shake the jar frequently then make sure the raisins are properly soaked.
  • Mix the cream and milk, then use a microwave to heat or use a stove over medium heat to scald the mixture (but don’t boil).
  • Whisk together the sugar and egg yolks on a medium-sized saucepan for 3 minutes until the mixture is fluffy and pale.
  • Whisking properly, add one cup of the microwaved milk to the egg yolk. Doing this affects the egg yolks to ensure that they don’t scramble or cook. Then whisk on a separate cup and ensure its properly mixed with the egg yolk mixture.
  • Lastly, add the rest of the cream and scalded milk and make sure it’s blended properly.
  • Put the pan on medium heat, then stir slowly and constantly for 10 minutes to thicken the mixture. Now you should be in a position of dipping the wooden spoon inside the custard. Please don’t boil the mixture, or else it might curdle.
  • Take out from the heat, then mix in the vanilla extract. After that, chill the custard properly for long. After chilling the custard properly, stir it well, then add to the ice cream maker. Let it sit there for 30 minutes to make the ice cream thicker.
  • Quickly transfer the ice cream to the glass bowl, then fold the soaked raisins plus any unabsorbed rum.
  • Lastly, put in an airtight container, then freeze overnight.