How to Make Homemade Rum

Create the taste of the tropics at home.

Rum is a key ingredient in many cocktails and punches, and a vital addition to any well-stocked liquor cabinet. But just because the expensive Caribbean rums are the most popular doesn't mean you can't make your own. Rum is a fairly simple spirit to distill for your own use, provided you have some time, some patience, some chemistry, and a whole lot of molasses.

Things You'll Need

• Molasses
• Yeast
• Water
• Still
• Gas burner
• Thermometer
• Bottles
• Barrels

Instructions

1. Ferment the molasses by adding water and yeast. In order for the molasses to ferment properly, you will need to reduce the amount of sugar to 25 percent or less of the total mixture. This can be done by adding an equal amount of water to your amount of molasses; if the molasses is 50 percent sugar, an equal amount of water will reduce it. You can find the total amount of sugar on the label of the molasses that you use. Once the amount of sugar is reduced, add the yeast and leave the mixture in a tightly sealed container. The yeast will consume the sugars and create alcohol and carbon dioxide. Fermentation will take about two weeks.

2. When the molasses is fermented, add the mixture to your still, ensuring your tank is only three quarters full at most. Using a gas burner, heat the mixture between 172 and 179 degrees Fahrenheit. Maintain the mixture in this temperature range for as long as possible, generally between one to two hours. Once you are outside this range, turn off the burner.

3. Throw out any liquid that came out of the still at below 172 degrees. This is poisonous. For the best flavor, also throw out the first 100 to 200 mL of any liquid distilled at 172 degrees or above, as this will contain the most of these poisons. Similarly, anything above 179 degrees should be thrown out. It is not poisonous, but it is foul-tasting and you don't want it contaminating your rum.

4. At this point you will have light rum. If you want an amber rum, you will need to age the rum in wooden barrels, preferably oak. Aging is up to you; rum can be aged as long as ten years. These barrels should be stored in a cool, dark place to allow proper aging. If you want a dark rum, simply add molasses to the light rum until you have the desired color, with no need to age it in a barrel. Once you have the desired colors, bottle the rum and put it on your shelf.

Tips & Warnings

• You can continue to distill your alcohol to remove the trace elements of acetone, methanol, and other poisons. Removing methanol in particular will reduce hangovers.

• While rum distillation is legal in most of the country, always check local laws before starting any distilling project.

• Be aware that you will also be distilling alcohols like methanol and acetone, which are poisonous if consumed. Monitor the temperature of your mix carefully and if you think you have distilled incorrectly, do not drink the products of the still.

References

• Home Stiller: how to properly run a still
• The Art of Drink: the basics of rum distillation