How to Make a Rum Still

Rum punch can transport anyone to the tropics

You don't need an aquamarine beachfront, a limbo bar or an island moon to get yourself into a tropical frame of mind when you've got a cool, rum cocktail in one hand and a travel book in the other. Potent rum is a favorite of islanders throughout the South Atlantic and Caribbean regions, and now you can make your own brand of rum at home with an old pot, a wooden cask and an empty plastic milk bottle. Think of this project as a way to save the planet by keeping your still-making materials out of landfills.

Things You'll Need

• Old electric Crock-Pot or steamer pot with lid
• Copper tubing
• Large gallon plastic milk bottle with lid
• Wood cask or stainless steel container for aging the rum
• Fermented mix of yeast/water/molasses
• Coffee filters
• Waterproof sealant
• Charcoal
• Rum recipes

Instructions

1. Find out whether your state or local ordinances prohibit consumers from making their own rum. Happily, many states will allow distillers to make batches of alcohol for their own consumption, just as long as nobody makes money selling it. Avoid breaking the law by getting the skinny on legalities first.

2. Mix the molasses with water and yeast to begin the process of fermentation. Rum makers use "starter" made from previous batches of rum fermentation to speed up the process, but your first batch will require you to produce your own by experimenting with different proportions of water, yeast and molasses.

3. While the fermentation process is underway, make the body of your still from rudimentary household goods. Use a drill or screwdriver and hammer to puncture a hole in the pot lid, and then adjust the width of the hole to accommodate the copper tubing. Replace the lid to create stage one of the still.

4. Construct a cooling chamber (stage two) by puncturing the lid of the milk bottle and feeding the other end of the copper tubing through the milk bottle top. Pull the tubing out of a third hole punctured into the side of the bottle around two inches up from the bottom.

5. Feed the tubing into the brew's collection cask (stage three) so the rum ingredients flow from the cooking pot, through the cooling chamber and into the storage cask. Once the copper piping is adjusted, close in the holes around the tubes with waterproof sealant and blow out the line to remove any foreign matter that might have collected. Cut a fist-sized hole on the side of the milk bottle so ice can be fed into the system.

6. Fill the cooking pot with the fermented starter mix (Step 2). This is where you may wish to save some of the blend to activate the next batch of rum you make. Cook the remainder of the fermented blend at a temperature between 173 and 200 degrees F. As the rum flows through the piping, replenish ice cubes in the milk bottle so it cools down.

7. As the rum begins to flow into the wood cask, you might wish to throw away the first few ounces to purge the drink of impurities that can collect at the start of the process. If you skip this part, be aware of the fact that you might be drinking 140 proof rum.

8. Allow your rum to age for a year in its wood cask. Rum experts recommend aging the drink up to seven years. After the aging process is complete, filter your rum by pouring it through a strainer or funnel into which charcoal and paper coffee liners have been placed. If you're seeking a more full-bodied rum, use caramel flavoring to darken the brew. Follow directions in your favorite rum cookbook to come up with different blends and tastes.

Resources

• Try this "private blend" homemade rum recipe
• Find more exotic homemade rum recipes here