diy vs buy

Many commercial spiced rums use the spices to cover up inferior rum. At home, you can create a more elegant and bold version, tailored to your taste.

DIY Spiced Rum Recipe

orange

vanilla bean

star anise pod

light rum

gold rum

cinnamon

cloves

allspice berries

cardamom pods

nutmeg

black peppercorns

Zest half of the orange using a zester or peeler, making sure there is no white pith. Split the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape into a sealable glass jar or bottle, then cut into smaller segments. Break up the anise with a mortar and pestle or by pressing with a spoon. Add these along with all other ingredients into the jar or bottle, cover and shake. 

Let steep for two days, then sample to see if any flavor adjustments are needed (remove anything that seems to be taking over the flavor). Shake daily. Continue to steep and adjust for up to five days total, until desired flavor is achieved. I recommend removing the ginger on the second or third day, as it releases flavor more quickly than other items. 

Once desired flavor is achieved, strain through a fine-mesh sieve to remove the larger items and then strain again through a coffee filter into a bottle.

This homemade ginger liqueur tastes so elegant that people will not believe you made it yourself. It can compete with Domaine de Canton on flavor—for less than half the cost and only 20 minutes of work.

Diy Ginger Liqueur Recipe

ginger root

sugar

water

brandy

DIY Ginger Liqueur Recipe

Peel the ginger and cut it into thin slices. Split the vanilla bean in half lengthwise.

Bring the ginger, vanilla, sugar, and water to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until ginger is soft—about 20 minutes. Let the syrup cool. Do not strain yet. 

Zest the orange and place the zest only in a sealable glass container along with the syrup and brandy. Seal and shake, then let this mixture steep for one day.

After one day, remove the vanilla bean and let the mixture steep for an additional day. 

Strain mixture through a coffee filter into your bottle or jar for storage. Let it sit for one more day before using to let flavors mellow. 

The true beauty of making this mix is having a fresh, versatile, and easy cocktail mixer for parties. There's no reason to buy sour mix when in 10 minutes you could hand-make something that's infinitely more delicious.

DIY Sour Mix Recipe

lemon juice

lime juice

Make simple syrup by bringing the sugar and water to a boil, about 7 minutes. Stir to dissolve sugar. Remove from heat and let cool.

While the syrup is cooling, strain freshly squeezed lemon and lime juice into a resealable bottle, discarding the pulp. Pour in the cooled simple syrup. Shake and use immediately or refrigerate. 

Allspice dram is a simple liqueur flavored with allspice berries. It's also known as pimento dram, because allspice is a berry from the pimento tree. Allspice dram adds a dark, strong, and spicy counterpoint to rum and sweet ingredients in tiki drinks. For years, allspice dram was damn-near impossible to find in the states. Even though you can find it on store shelves now, it's still much more fun (and affordable!) to make it at home.

DIY Allspice Dram Recipe

brown sugar

Crush the allspice berries in a mortar and pestle or grind them in a spice grinder. You want coarse, large pieces and not a fine grind. 

Place the crushed allspice in a sealable glass jar and pour the rum on top. Seal the jar and shake well. Let this mixture steep for 4 days, shaking daily. On day 5, break up the cinnamon stick and add it to the mixture.

After 12 days total steeping, strain out the solids through a fine-mesh strainer. Then strain again through a coffee filter into your final bottle or jar.

Heat water and sugar on medium until boiling, stirring to dissolve, about 5 minutes. Let the syrup cool, then add it to the strained allspice infusion. Shake and then let rest for a minimum of two days before using. 

Just a drop or two of orange bitters can add the right depth to your cocktail or bridge together ingredients that aren't quite living up to their mixological potential. Deep, citrusy, spicy, complex orange bitters are an essential part of so many balanced cocktails. The beauty of DIY bitters is unleashing your creativity and crafting bitters that you can't find anywhere else. I emphasized anise, but you could just as easily play up the cloves or add cardamom, cinnamon, coriander, or ginger for a whole new flavor profile.

DIY Orange Bitters Recipe

oranges (zest only)

gentian root

quassia chips

101-proof bourbon

caraway seeds

anise seed

Zest the oranges using a vegetable peeler and place the peel on the cookie sheet. Bake at 100 degrees until dried but not burned, about 40 minutes. Check regularly to ensure peels have not burned.

Once the zests are cool, place them in a sealable glass jar with 1/2 cup of the 151 neutral grain spirit. Be sure this jar is large enough to later hold an additional 1 cup of liquid. Shake. This is your orange flavoring.

Place the caraway seeds, cloves, star anise, and anise seed in a different sealable glass jar with 1/2 cup of the 151 neutral grain spirit. Shake. This is your spice mix.

Place the gentian root and quassia chips in a sealable glass jar with the bourbon. Shake. This is your bittering mix.

After 10 days, strain the spice mix and bittering mix through a fine-mesh sieve to remove the solids. Strain again through a coffee filter into the orange flavoring jar. Do not remove the orange zest. Shake. You now have one jar that contains the strained spice mix and bittering mix along with the steeping orange zest and alcohol. Let this steep for an additional 11 days.

Strain out the orange zest through a fine-mesh sieve, and then strain the rest through a coffee filter into your desired container. 

Fresh, sweet summer cherries transform into something deeper in this simple cherry liqueur.

DIY Cherry Liqueur Recipe

Bing cherries, pitted

vodka

cinnamon stick, broken (optional)

Put the pitted cherries at the bottom of a sealable glass jar and muddle them with a wooden spoon or muddler to release some juice. Drain the juice into a separate container and set aside. Then add the brandy, vodka, and cinnamon stick to the muddled cherries. Seal and shake the jar. Let steep for one week at room temperature away from direct sun, shaking every few days.

Combine the reserved cherry juice, sugar, and water in a pan and bring to a boil, stirring frequently until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and let cool. Once the syrup is cooled, add it to the steeping jar, seal, and shake. Then let it steep for an additional 2 to 5 days. Strain through fine-mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth into glass jar or bottle. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 months.

Talk about set it and forget it: The only skill culturing your own buttermilk requires is patience.

DIY Cultured Buttermilk Recipe

buttermilk (store-bought or activated dried starter)

milk (whole, 2%,

In a mason jar or other glass container, thoroughly mix the starter and milk. Cover with a coffee filter or piece of cheese cloth (do not seal tightly with a lid) and leave to culture out of drafts at a warm room temperature (between 70-78°F is recommended) until milk has clabbered (10-24 hours). 

To test if the milk has thickened, tip the jar slightly. It should move away from the wall of the jar as a single mass. Just as with yogurt making, once the milk sets, it will get more tart the longer you allow the culturing to continue.

Refrigerate to halt culturing for at least six hours. Stir before using.

Amaro is just a general name for a bitter, herbal liqueur traditionally served after a meal.

DIY Amaro Recipe

anise seeds

sage leaves

mint leaves

rosemary leaves (about 1 sprig's worth)

allspice berry

151-proof neutral grain spirit (see note)

Grind the herbs and spices (including gentian root) with a mortar and pestle until roughly broken up. (Or pulse a few times in a food processor.) Transfer to a sealable glass jar and pour in the alcohol. Let steep at room temperature for 3 weeks, shaking frequently.

After the initial steeping time, bring sugar and water to a boil at medium heat. Cook until sugar is completely dissolved, about 5 minutes. Let cool completely.

Pour cooled syrup into the steeped mixture, reseal jar, and let rest for an additional 2 weeks, stirring frequently. After 2 weeks, open jar and taste. If stronger flavor is desired, re-seal jar and allow to steep for an additional week.

Strain through cheesecloth to remove solids, then filter through coffee filter or fresh cheesecloth into a selable bottle. Store at room temperature for up to 6 months.

Orgeat (pronounced "or-zsa," like Zsa Zsa Gabor) is like liquid marzipan. While it's best known as a part of a good Mai Tai, this almond syrup is also an exotic substitute for simple syrup or grenadine in mixed drinks or a fun addition to pie fillings, milk shakes, and even coffee.

Orgeat Recipe

raw almonds, sliced or chopped

orange flower water

Toast almonds at 400°F for 4 minutes, shaking after 2 minutes. 

Cool almonds and then pulverize them with a blender or food processor.

In a saucepan, cook the sugar and water on medium heat until the sugar dissolves and the mixture starts to boil, about 3 minutes, stirring constantly. 

Add pulverized almonds and simmer on low heat, stirring frequently. When mixture is about to boil, remove from heat and cover. Let it sit for a minimum of 3 hours and no more than 12 hours.

Strain steeped mixture through three layers of cheesecloth into a bowl, squeezing the cloth as you go.

Add orange flower water and vodka, then stir. Funnel into glass jar or bottle.

Delicately sweet with a hint of bitterness, a homemade chocolate liqueur made with cacao nibs is like an expensive dark chocolate bar in your drink instead of like a jigger of Nestle Quik.

DIY Chocolate Liqueur Recipe

cacao nibs

real vanilla extract

Combine the cacao nibs and vodka in a sealable glass jar. Shake and then let steep for 8 days.

After the initial steeping period, bring the sugar and water to a boil. Let this syrup cool, then add to the jar along with the vanilla extract. Let steep for an additional day.

Strain out the nibs through a sieve and then filter through a coffee filter into the bottle or jar you'll use for storage.

Falernum can be tricky to find commercially, but it's easy to make at home so that you can be ready to mix up lots of classic Tiki cocktails.

DIY Falernum Recipe

almonds

limes

Preheat the oven to 400°F and toast the almonds on a cookie sheet until slightly darkened and fragrant, about five minutes. Be careful not to let them burn. Let cool before using. 

Place the almonds and cloves in a sealable glass jar and pour in the rum. Shake and let steep 2 days. (For a less intense clove flavor, steep 1 day.)

Zest the limes, being sure no white pith is included. Set aside four of the limes for use in the rest of this recipe, and reserve the rest for another project. Add lime zest to the jar. At this point you can also add other spices, if desired. Shake and let steep for 1 day, and then strain through cheesecloth, pressing to extract as much liquid as possible.

Juice four of the limes, and strain the juice into a sauce pot. Add water and sugar, then bring to a boil on medium heat. Cook until sugar is dissolved, about 5 minutes. Let syrup cool, then combine with the strained almond and clove infusion. Strain mixture through a coffee filter, if desired, then let it rest for an additional 12 hours before use.

A little extra effort to make gomme instead of simple syrup will give your cocktails a silky texture you can't get from plain simple syrup.

DIY Gomme Syrup Recipe

water (divided)

powdered gum Arabic

Heat 1/4 cup of the water to a near-boil, about 3 minutes. Put the gum powder in a glass or small jar, then slowly stir in the hot water. Stir together until all the powder is integrated. (Some small white clumps may remain.) Let this mixture sit for 2 to 3 hours. When it looks more like a gel, stir again to smooth out the mixture. (It's OK if there is a small layer of white foam.)

Heat the remaining water with the sugar until it forms a syrup, about 7 to 10 minutes. Turn off the heat, and then slowly stir in the gum mixture. Simmer on low heat for about 5 minutes while stirring briskly. Do not bring to a boil. You'll end up with a very thick syrup that may have a fine layer of white foam on top. Let this cool.

Once the syrup is cooled, stir again and skim off small clumps or thick foam, if any. Transfer to a glass jar or bottle and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 months.

Blackberry liqueur, also known as creme de mure, is a summer must! It has the brightness of berries and the richness of a sophisticated liqueur all rolled into one.

DIY Blackberry Liqueur Recipe

blackberries

lime

simple syrup (see note)

Place the blackberries and lime zest in a sealable glass jar, muddle lightly to release juice, and then add brandy and vodka. Seal and shake. Let mixture steep for 3 days at room temperature away from direct sunlight. Strain through a fine mesh strainer, pressing down to extract juice, then filter mixture through a coffee filter or through two layers of cheesecloth. Discard solids.

Combine blackberry infusion and simple syrup in a sealable bottle or jar, then shake to mix. Let rest for a minimum of one day. Store in the refrigerator for up to two months.

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DIY Spiced Rum Recipe

Diy Ginger Liqueur Recipe

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DIY Cherry Liqueur Recipe

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DIY Amaro Recipe

Orgeat Recipe

DIY Chocolate Liqueur Recipe

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DIY Gomme Syrup Recipe

DIY Blackberry Liqueur Recipe

Top 13 diy vs buy recipes from across the web

The most viewed diy vs buy recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

DIY Spiced Rum Recipe

Diy Ginger Liqueur Recipe

DIY Sour Mix Recipe

DIY Allspice Dram Recipe

DIY Orange Bitters Recipe

DIY Cherry Liqueur Recipe

DIY Cultured Buttermilk Recipe

DIY Amaro Recipe

Orgeat Recipe

DIY Chocolate Liqueur Recipe

DIY Falernum Recipe

DIY Gomme Syrup Recipe

DIY Blackberry Liqueur Recipe

The most viewed diy vs buy recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine