Liqueurs

Falernum

Falernum is a Barbadian sweetener tasting of lime zest, clove and ginger, usually with almond, sold either as an 11% ABV rum-based bottle such as Velvet Falernum or as a non-alcoholic syrup. The trade calls the 11% bottle a liqueur, though a liqueur in GB law must reach 15%. In a rum drink it brings sugar, citrus and spice in a single pour, usually 7.5 to 15ml.

Quick Facts

ABV11% ABVNon-alcoholic falernum syrups are also sold.

Legal categoryTraded as a liqueur, but at 11% it is under the 15% legal minimum for a liqueur or any spirit drink

OriginBarbados

Flavour Strengthmedium bold

SeasonYear-round (Most popular in spring and summer)

Our keeping timeThe 11% bottle, opened: about six months refrigerated. Home-made syrup: one week refrigerated.

Storage

Store unopened bottles upright in a cool, dark place away from direct sunlight. Once opened, reseal tightly and keep it in the fridge.

Allergens

Contains: tree nuts. Velvet Falernum and the house syrup contain almond; some bought syrups do not, so check the bottle.

The ingredient

About Falernum

Flavour Profile

Primary Flavours

LimeGingerAlmondCloveSweet spice

Tasting Notes

Lime zest on the nose, clove and ginger warmth in the middle and a soft almond finish, sweet but with a dry spice edge.

Two products go by the name

Velvet Falernum, from John D. Taylor’s and now produced by R.L. Seale in Barbados, is 11% ABV: rum and cane syrup flavoured with lime, almonds and cloves. Falernum syrups carry the same flavours with no alcohol and usually more sugar. Recipes seldom say which they mean. Ours assume the 11% bottle when they count units, and the Corn n’ Oil gives a smaller pour for the syrup because it is sweeter.

At 11% it falls short of a liqueur in law

GB law, the retained EU spirit drinks regulation, sets 15% ABV as the minimum for a liqueur and for any spirit drink, and a liqueur also needs at least 100g of sugar a litre. Velvet Falernum is traded as a liqueur, yet at 11% it is legally neither: a rum-based alcoholic drink with a falernum flavour. Its legal category is left as other for that reason. Nothing changes in the glass; the point matters when reading a label or adding up units.

Falernum against the tiki bottles it is confused with

Velvet Falernum

Strength: 11% ABV
Main flavours: Lime, clove, almond
Almond: Yes, per its UK listing
Keeps once open: About six months, refrigerated
Measure in our drinks: 7.5 to 15ml

House falernum syrup

Strength: None
Main flavours: Lime, clove, ginger, almond
Almond: Yes
Keeps once open: One week, refrigerated
Measure in our drinks: 10 to 15ml

Bought falernum syrup

Strength: None
Main flavours: Lime, clove, ginger
Almond: Varies: check the bottle
Keeps once open: As the label says
Measure in our drinks: 10 to 15ml

Orgeat

Strength: None
Main flavours: Almond, orange flower
Almond: Yes, when made from almonds
Keeps once open: One week home-made
Measure in our drinks: 12.5 to 30ml

Allspice dram

Strength: 22 to 22.5% ABV
Main flavours: Allspice berry
Almond: None declared by The Bitter Truth
Keeps once open: A year or more
Measure in our drinks: 7.5ml

Bottle	Strength	Main flavours	Almond	Keeps once open	Measure in our drinks
Velvet Falernum	11% ABV	Lime, clove, almond	Yes, per its UK listing	About six months, refrigerated	7.5 to 15ml
House falernum syrup	None	Lime, clove, ginger, almond	Yes	One week, refrigerated	10 to 15ml
Bought falernum syrup	None	Lime, clove, ginger	Varies: check the bottle	As the label says	10 to 15ml
Orgeat	None	Almond, orange flower	Yes, when made from almonds	One week home-made	12.5 to 30ml
Allspice dram	22 to 22.5% ABV	Allspice berry	None declared by The Bitter Truth	A year or more	7.5ml

The house recipe is a steeped syrup that lasts a week

Ours is the alcohol-free kind: a 2:1 sugar syrup steeped overnight with lime zest, cloves, fresh ginger and toasted almonds, then strained through muslin. It keeps one week chilled, our rule for infused syrups, which replaces the older claim that home-made falernum outlasts plain syrup. Leave the almonds out and it is nut-free and still recognisably falernum, with a thinner finish.

Our recipes use it as sweetener and spice together

In the Nuclear Daiquiri it is the only sugar, 10ml against overproof rum, green Chartreuse and lime. The Zombie and the Jet Pilot take 15ml among three rums, and the Three Dots and a Dash pairs 7.5ml with an equal pour of allspice dram, which brings the berry spice falernum lacks.

Using it

Using Falernum

Usage

Measured at 7.5 to 15ml as a sweetener that also seasons. It is the only sugar in the Nuclear Daiquiri, and in the Zombie and the Jet Pilot it sits among three rums. Where a drink uses it, the plain syrup is usually cut or left out.

House Recipe

Ratio2:1 sugar syrup by weight, steeped with lime, clove, ginger and almond

MakesAbout 450ml

Our keeping timeOne week refrigerated

Ingredients

400g caster sugar
200g water (200ml)
Zest of 4 limes, peeled without the pith
20 cloves, lightly crushed
30g fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
30g flaked almonds, toasted

Method

Toast the almonds in a dry pan until golden, and let them cool.
Warm the water, dissolve the sugar in it, then take it off the heat.
Add the zest, cloves, ginger and almonds, cover and leave until cool.
Refrigerate overnight, then strain through muslin, bottle and label with the date.

Food safety

Contains almonds, a tree nut: say so to anyone you serve it to, or leave them out. Keep it refrigerated; a cloudy, fizzing or sour-smelling bottle is finished.

Pro Tip

Treat falernum as part of the sweet side of the drink. When a recipe adds it to a sour, take the same measure out of the sugar syrup first, then taste.

Top Tips

Read the label for strength. The 11% bottle and a falernum syrup taste alike and behave differently in the units count and in sweetness.
Pour a syrup falernum a little short of the measure given for the 11% bottle; the Corn n’ Oil drops from 15ml to 10ml.
Tell guests about the almond. Velvet Falernum and the house syrup both contain it.
Date the home-made bottle. A week in the fridge is its life.

Possible Substitutions

Allspice Dram: Spicier, less citrus

Production Method

Velvet Falernum is rum and cane syrup flavoured with lime, almonds and cloves. Falernum syrups use a sugar syrup in place of the rum, steeped with the same flavourings.

History & Context

Falernum may date to eighteenth-century Barbados, where it was made as a punch, though bar manuals mention it only from the 1930s. The makers of John D. Taylor’s Velvet Falernum date their recipe to 1890. The name has no settled origin; a Barbadian folk story derives it from “you have fuh learn um”.

Go further

More to explore

Common Questions

What is falernum?

A Caribbean sweetener from Barbados, flavoured with lime zest, clove, ginger and usually almond. It comes either as a low-strength rum-based bottle, Velvet Falernum at 11% being the common one, or as a non-alcoholic syrup. Tiki recipes use it to add sweetness and spice at once.

Is Velvet Falernum a liqueur?

It is sold as one, but not in GB law. The retained spirit drinks regulation requires at least 15% ABV for a liqueur, and for any spirit drink, and Velvet Falernum is 11%. Legally it is a rum-based alcoholic drink. In the glass that changes nothing; it matters for labels and units.

Does falernum contain alcohol?

Velvet Falernum does, at 11% ABV, so 15ml adds about 0.17 of a UK unit. Falernum syrups, including our house recipe, contain none. Our recipes count units from the 11% figure, so a syrup makes the drink slightly weaker and a little sweeter.

Does falernum contain nuts?

Usually. Velvet Falernum’s UK trade listing names almonds among its flavourings, and our house syrup steeps toasted flaked almonds. Some bought syrups leave almond out, so read the bottle. For anyone with a tree nut allergy, make the house recipe without the almonds.

How long does falernum keep once opened?

An opened bottle of the 11% kind keeps about six months in the fridge, with the lime fading first. The home-made syrup keeps one week refrigerated, the house rule for steeped syrups, so make it in small batches and write the date on the label.

How do you make falernum at home?

Dissolve 400g of caster sugar in 200g of warm water, then steep the zest of four limes, twenty crushed cloves, 30g of sliced ginger and 30g of toasted flaked almonds in it off the heat. Refrigerate overnight, strain through muslin, bottle and date it. It makes about 450ml.

What can I use instead of falernum?

Nothing matches it exactly. Allspice dram gives the spice without the lime and is stronger in flavour, so use about half the measure. Simple syrup with a dash of Angostura and a strip of lime zest shaken in covers the sweetness and some of the spice in a pinch.

What cocktails use falernum?

Ten of ours. The Zombie, Jet Pilot, Rum Swizzle and Chartreuse Swizzle take 15ml, the Nuclear Daiquiri 10ml and the Tiki Sour and Three Dots and a Dash 7.5ml. The Corn n’ Oil is the simplest showcase: blackstrap rum, falernum, lime and Angostura.

Make something

Made with Falernum

Featured In These Cocktails

Nuclear Daiquiri Tiki Sour Zombie Jet Pilot Corn n’ Oil Three Dots and a Dash

Show all 10 cocktails

Chartreuse Swizzle Illegal Pearl Diver Rum Swizzle

Often Used With

Updated 10 October 2026

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