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homemade bay rum?

Hi, I know that there have been some threads like this on here before but I'm starting a new one since it’s been a while. I'd like to hear about your experiences with homemade bay rum and if you have recipes, please, share. I'd like to get a feel for what the general shaving public thinks about this issue.

My recipe for mach Ogallala Bay Rum Cologne (I use the real cologne as aftershave)

Ingredients:
Pint Good quality vodka (should have no smell other than alcohol)
Tsp worth of witch hazel leaves/stems (astringent)
Tbsp worth of ground all spice (same family as the real bay rum bay plant. Smells the same too)
3 clove buds
1" X .5" piece of lime zest
1/4 tsp sage
1/8 tsp rosemary
1/8 tsp fresh ground ginger
.5" X .5" slice orange zest
1/4 inch piece of small cinnamon stick
3 cedar needles

Method: pour vodka into a quart jar. Add the witch hazel, all spice, clove, lime, and orange. Cover and let it set for at least 1 week. 2 weeks is better. But 1 month is about the max. 2 weeks should be fine. Then do a little math. Whatever strength the vodka is, figure up how much distilled water you need to add to get it down to 30% alc. Water it down and add sage, rosemary, ginger, cinnamon, and cedar. Let it set for a few days. Smell it, it should smell like Ogallala bay rum (but is obviously not meant to replace that great bay rum sent of Ogallala). Filter it through some panty hose and then pour it into a tall skinny bottle. Let it set for another week and then pour it off the sediment.

There you go. A cheaper, homemade version of Ogallala Bay Rum Cologne/Aftershave. Let me be clear that I did this as an experiment and for the satisfaction of making my own. I used it occasionally and gave some to friends. But when it comes to quality Bay Rum you just cant beat the quality and price of Ogallala Bay Rum. Anyone that has never tried it should definitely give it a go. And if you’re not sure what sent to go with first, contact them and ask for suggestions. The people there are as friendly as they come.

P.S. If you want a stronger sent, amp up the amount of ingredients.
 
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DarwinHoel

Hello, I'm new to the forum. I found it by searching for this term "Homemade Bay Rum". I used to work for and essence oil company in 1980 that distilled essence oils. I was a still operator. We used to manufacture distilled Citronella oil by the barrel full. 150 gallons a day at least. If you wanted to add a great, light scented oil to your Bay Rum this would be it. It would also give it a fresh scent that no other Bay rum would have. This stuff smells so nice when it's freshly distilled. It dawned on me that this whould go great with the Bay Rum scent if someone wanted to add a bit of oil to their mix.

BTW - Pure citronella does not smell like a bug candle or tiki torch either. You can smell the citronella in one though.
 
Straining through a pair of pantyhose would leave a lot of "stuff" left behind, plus you need to get a pair of pantyhose to do that. And some women just don't wear them like they use to.

Instead try a coffee filter. Place the coffee filter inside a funnel as you pour. Straining out small amounts, if the coffee filter seem to get "plugged" just replace it. It will have a tighter weave to get out more "stuff".

Most people already have these by the 100's and if your not a coffee drinker you can buy a cheap pack for about .98 cents and not feel like a dork going into a store to buy women's panty house.
 
clubman rob has some knowledge in this domain. I'll wait for him to chime in.

why not save yourself the hassel and get some spiced/aged cheepie rum? something like capn morgans or bacardi black? add eo as necesary
 

luvmysuper

My elbows leak
Staff member
clubman rob has some knowledge in this domain. I'll wait for him to chime in.

why not save yourself the hassel and get some spiced/aged cheepie rum? something like capn morgans or bacardi black? add eo as necesary

+1 Captain Morgan, Witch Hazel, Bay Leaves, All Spice. Yummy AFTER shaving goodness.
 
clubman rob has some knowledge in this domain. I'll wait for him to chime in.

why not save yourself the hassel and get some spiced/aged cheepie rum? something like capn morgans or bacardi black? add eo as necesary

+1 Captain Morgan, Witch Hazel, Bay Leaves, All Spice. Yummy AFTER shaving goodness.

That's pretty much my secret recipe, sans Bay leaves. Capt. Morgan spiced rum, Bay Rum EO, Perrier Lime water, lime EO, and a touch of Dickinsons. Shake it all up and let it sit on a sunny window sill for a day or two before use. I don't bother with "real" spices/ingredients, it's just for my own personal use so I don't go hog wild. :biggrin: It smells pretty much like when I melt a puck of Col Conk Lime and Col Conk Bay Rum together.

Word of caution though, the Capt Morgans goes a long way. I can never get a good steady supply of EO's either, so from batch to batch I have to tinker around with the amounts.
 
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