Bay Rum from scratch

I recently was at a local health store and noticed that they had "Bay Essential Oil" (pimento racemosa) for $10.00 (0.5 oz). I also noticed that a local liquor store had cheap dark Jamaican Rum for $9.00 (750 ml).

I started thinking.... Maybe I can combine the two to make my own Bay Rum Cologne.

A quick search for homemade Bay Rum Cologne finds several recipes that use the actual bay leaves, however, they require waiting for over a month before using. If one uses essential oil, then one shouldn't have to wait.

Anyway, has anyone tried to use essential oil to make their own Bay Rum Cologne? If so, how much of the essential oil for the 750ml of Rum?


Thanks,

Bob

I'd like some input on this too.

I'm sure it can be done with essential oils.

I think they use a lot more than just bayleaves though.

I'm thinking:

cloves
Cinnamon
bayleaves
etc.

I thought Bay Leaves were different from the "bay" that is in Bay Rum?

doesn't bay rum only cost about £5 a bottle!!!

Where? I have only seen the hair tonic at Boots. Or do you mean an essential oil?

a barber shop in portsmouth sells bottles for £5.. why how much have you seen it for?

What, hair tonic, or Bay Rum cologne?

ah, am i getting confused? i think it may be hair tonic! Do you use the cologne then? what's it like?

I personally have only ever used a Bay Rum aftershave, and must say the smell was not quite my style. A bit too old fashioned for me. Maybe in 20-30 yrs I'll try again.

I should've noted that the price was in USD.

The bay rum leaves are indeed different from the kitchen variety of bay leaves. The bay rum leaves are pimento racemosa and the kitchen bay leaves are laurus nobilis.

I cheapest price that I found for Pinuad Bay Rum Cologne runs about $8 USD (plus shipping) for a 355 ml bottle. The ends up being roughly $17 USD plus shipping for 750 ml. By the time you weigh the cost of shipping, local taxes, and other ingredients (cloves, cinnamon, lemongrass, sweet orange, etc.) it may be no real benefit for making your own. However, if you need to dilute the homemade mixture, than I think that the homemade option cheaper.

Just my thoughts.

Bob

I tried this last year with dark rum, bay essential oil, and a bit of lime essential oil. Worthy of experiment - but little more than that. The results were a disappointment in my case,but perhap you'd have better luck with it.

Sue (from Saint Charles Shave) recommended using actual bay leaves, opposed to the essential oil. By that time, I had already purchased the bay oil, so that's what I had used. After my experience, I second Sue's recommendation, as Sue is grossly more versed in this area than myself... coupled with the fact that my end result smelled like cheap Pine-Sol!

-Pete

The more I thought about it, the more I decided to get a bottle of "Bay Rum with a Twist" from Sue instead. That way, I know it will be good.

60CycleHum said:

The more I thought about it, the more I decided to get a bottle of "Bay Rum with a Twist" from Sue instead. That way, I know it will be good.

Click to expand...

Oddly enough, that is EXACTLY what I did after my "experiment". Wise choice.... and it WILL be good.

-Pete

In all my travels, I have never had a better Bay Rum than this one. It is family made in small batches, kind of a microbrew.


It's from Bonny Doon Farm, they also make a great bay rum soap. But the bay rum cologne is unparalleled.
http://www.bonnydoonfarm.com/

Cliff

I've got a batch of homemade Bay Rum stewing right now.
I used spiced rum with lime peel,bay leaves,peppercorns,cloves and a cinnamon stick.
I'm going to let it brew for a couple of weeks and then add some glycerin and give'r a try.
We'll see what happens.
I didn't like to drink the spiced rum anyway so I really wasn't out anything I'd miss.

Churchill said:

I've got a batch of homemade Bay Rum stewing right now.
I used spiced rum with lime peel,bay leaves,peppercorns,cloves and a cinnamon stick.
I'm going to let it brew for a couple of weeks and then add some glycerin and give'r a try.
We'll see what happens.
I didn't like to drink the spiced rum anyway so I really wasn't out anything I'd miss.

Click to expand...

THIS recipe sounds well thought out, and may potentially yield a good product. I'll be curious to see how this one pans out. Please keep us posted, Churchill!

-Pete

I will let y'all know how it turns out.If I can keep the scent in the bottle,can't help but open it and sniff pretty regular.

When I was knee high to a grasshopper my dad gave me a bottle of Royall Bay Rum that had a bay leaf in the bottle. I’m not sure if they still do, SWMBO doesn’t care for it. The best Bay Rum in my experience was Michelsen's Bay Rum.
Doug

Cliff said:

In all my travels, I have never had a better Bay Rum than this one. It is family made in small batches, kind of a microbrew.

It's from Bonny Doon Farm, they also make a great bay rum soap. But the bay rum cologne is unparalleled.
http://www.bonnydoonfarm.com/

Cliff

Click to expand...

Hey Cliff. That looks good. I went to the web site and found some other products. I would really like to get a sniff of their "Upland" cologne. I may call and see if they have the little tester vials for sale. Thanks for the heads up.

Regards, Todd

Churchill said:

I've got a batch of homemade Bay Rum stewing right now.
I used spiced rum with lime peel,bay leaves,peppercorns,cloves and a cinnamon stick.
I'm going to let it brew for a couple of weeks and then add some glycerin and give'r a try.
We'll see what happens.
I didn't like to drink the spiced rum anyway so I really wasn't out anything I'd miss.

Click to expand...

How did it turn out?