What does falernum taste like?
Falernum tastes like sweet lime, ginger, clove and almond: a Caribbean spiced syrup or low-proof liqueur that gives tiki drinks their warm, zesty, slightly Christmassy edge.
Falernum
lime, ginger and clove
Falernum comes from Barbados and works in tiki drinks the way salt works in cooking: you might not name it, but you'd miss it. It's built on lime zest, ginger, clove and almond, sweetened with sugar and often made with rum. Some bottles are alcohol-free syrups; the best-known, John D. Taylor's Velvet Falernum, is a liqueur at about 11%. It tastes like a lime cookie with a warm spice tingle. A little goes a long way, rounding out rum and lime with spice.
Where you’ll see it
In the Corn 'n' Oil (dark rum and falernum), the Zombie, the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club and lots of tiki and holiday drinks. Bartenders also splash it into rum punches and swizzles.
Order a drink with it if you like ginger, lime and warm spices, and tiki drinks are your thing.
Quick questions
- Is falernum alcoholic?
- It can be either. Some falernums are syrups with no alcohol; others, like Velvet Falernum, are liqueurs at about 11%. Bar menus rarely say which.
- What does falernum add to a drink?
- Mostly a warm spice behind the rum: clove, ginger and lime, which makes a sour drink rounder and a bit festive.