DIY Pineapple Rum
Homemade Pineapple Rum Recipe
During the 2014 Tales of the Cocktail, Alexandre Gabriel of Cognac Ferrand brought a special product to share with the bartenders in attendance. The product was a pineapple rum called Stiggin’s Fancy, named for a character in Charles Dickens’ Pickwick Papers who despite his preaching to the contrary, quite enjoyed pineapple rum. The libation was popular in Victorian England, but fell out of fashion thereafter.
Alexandre wanted to try and revive this forgotten spirit, so he teamed up with noted drinks historian David Wondrich to recreate it. They found some inspiring information in the 1824 English Journal of Patent and Inventions and the 1844 Journal of Agricultural Society. Of course, they had their own ideas as well; consider who we’re dealing with here. After trying several varieties of pineapples, they fittingly settled on the Queen Victoria. Macerating the pineapple in Plantation Dark rum for three months imparted the flavors fully, but they did not stop there. The pineapple rinds were also macerated for three months to extract the oils. This rind-infused macerate was then re-distilled and added back to the pineapple-infused rum to add brightness and complexity.
Image courtesy amountainofcrushedice.com, used with permission
Sounds pretty great right? It is. It tastes like fresh, sweet pineapple-infused rum, but it’s balanced with the bright notes from the rind. It drinks splendidly on its own, and makes a helluva Daiquiri, too.
The problem? It’s technically not for sale. You see, Ferrand only released 1,000 bottles of it. If you find a bar that buys a lot of Plantation rum, Citadelle gin, and Ferrand Cognac, then you have a good chance of locating a taste of this magical elixir. Otherwise, you’re probably out of luck. I have had several glasses of the stuff, but I wasn’t able to score my own bottle, so I began thinking of creating a similar flavor at home. After making several batches, I thought I’d share my process with you. It might not be Stiggin’s Fancy, but it’s pretty damned tasty, and it’s dead simple to make. I call it “Hella Fancy”.
Hella Fancy Pineapple-Infused Rum Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 fresh, ripe pineapple
- 2 bottles Plantation Original Dark rum
- 3 oz. simple syrup (1:1)
Equipment
- 1 Gallon jar with tight-fitting lid (or similar container)
- Funnel
- Two tight-mesh strainers
Method
Step 1: Wash the pineapple
Step 2: Cut off the top and bottom of the pineapple
Step 3: Slice the pineapple into large chunks
Step 4: Place the pineapple into the jar and cover with the rum.
Step 5: Store the jar in a dark place for 48 hours (shake vigorously after 24 hours).
Step 6: Remove pineapple chunks from the jar. (See notes below)
Step 7: Add simple syrup, replace jar lid and shake well. (See notes below)
Step 8: Double strain into the rum bottles.
Step 9: Alter the labels appropriately.
Step 10: Refrigerate and enjoy! (See notes below)
Notes
- Very ripe pineapples work best.
- After removing pineapple chunks, taste the infusion. If it is lacking in pineapple flavor, squeeze some (or all) of the liquid from the pineapple chunks back into the jar. If you do this, you’ll need additional bottling capacity.
- The sweetness of the infusion is very dependent on the sugar content of the pineapple. Adjust the amount of simple syrup to suit your particular pineapple and your own taste.
- With respect to storage, I’m confident this infusion could be safely stored at room temperature if kept out of natural light. However, it tastes best cold, so you might as well store it in the refrigerator to preserve the fresh flavor for as long as possible and keep it ready-to-drink.
- If you don’t have access to Plantation Dark rum, use another rum of your choosing. I’ve made this same infusion using Appleton VX, and it came out beautifully (I still prefer the Plantation Dark, however).
- “Hella Fancy” makes a great Daiquiri, but it also tastes great on its own. Add a touch more sweetness and/or some bitters if you are so inclined–it makes for a quick and tasty tropical cocktail.
- The colloidal pineapple material will settle with time (faster with refrigeration). Make sure to shake the bottle well before serving, and don’t worry about the floaties. You did that.
Have you made your own pineapple rum? How about another rum infusion? Please share your thoughts with us below.
Cheers,
Josh
Inu A Kena 
I’ll definitely try this one!
But how would you feel doing it with dark spiced rum? Wouldn’t work so well? Would the spices put the pineapple flavor in the background pallete of flavors and aromas?
Never thought of doing it with a spiced rum, Amras. Would be interesting to hear your take on that if you try it.
This is also delicious with gin. Then you can make a Riviera which is pretty fabulous. https://tartinestotikis.wordpress.com/2014/06/24/mxmo-pineapple-challenge-the-riviera-and-the-1956-zombie/
Fantastic idea! I must try this.
You`re making a “rhum arrangè” of sorts! 🙂 gotta be VERY tasty! interesting post! and yeah the Stiggins`Fancy….what a rum, i wish i could score a bottle too! but at some point i´m gonna try your awesome looking recipe!
Thanks, Tiare! Yes, it’s not much of a recipe, but it is two great tastes that taste great together 🙂
Given the abysmal quality of the pineapple rums commercially available, Will give this a try for my Goombah Smash’s.
Hmm, might have to try that. Never thought of using a pineapple rum in a Goombay Smash. Cheers
Just made this with Appleton V/X, and I can confirm two things – This is indeed Hella Fancy, and it made a SUPERB Mai Tai
Great idea! Glad you liked it. Cheers
I made mine with the plantation Over proof came out decently. I also hear Plantation is releasing Stiggin’s to the US market is great quantity. The new Captain Morgan Pineapple flavor is also quite well done from the flavor perspective. Its like smelling a fresh cut up pineapple says it uses all natural flavors.
Hey Josh, I have played with some pineapple infused rum this summer at the bar I work at. Now technically it is a gin but made by Privateer. So it is a cane based gin which is distinct itself. I just returned from a trip to Bangkok where at the Iron Fairies bar I had some smoke infused cocktails. With this inspiration and the use of a large wood oven that doubles as a cold smoker in the summer at the restaurant, I was able to cold smoke a couple sliced pineapples and then put them in a jar with the Priveteer Tiki inspired gin and let it sit for 5 days. The result is a botanical gin with a rum base and alot of smoke on the back. Add some fresh lime, little velvet falarnum, splash of demerara simple and a hit
of angostura and its a Tiki inspired dream.
worth getting your hands on that gin if you can. It was a one off this past summer 2015.
Best imbibing
RD
That sounds delicious!
The real deal doesnt have added sugar, why are you adding some here?
If you’re referring to Stiggins, I would disagree. Plantation adds some sugar to all of their rum. For me, it’s a finishing decision based on the sugar content of the pineapple.
For the infusion i do not add sugar. The demerara is for the cocktail recipe. It is as follows.
Ghost of the Sargasso
1.5 oz smoked pinapple infused Priveteer Tiki Gin
.75 oz fresh lime
.5 oz JD Taylor Velvet Falarnum
.25 oz demerara simple
1 dash angostura bitters
shake and strain into a coupe
Perfect end of summer cocktail
Shouldn’t be any issue in letting this infuse for a month, right? Total do it at home noobie here.
Probably fine, but unnecessary in my opinion. The fruit gives you all it has in a couple of days, and what you get thereafter is likely more bitterness. My advice would be to taste regularly as it ages if you go that route. Cheers
I agree the flavors transfer quickly. Then why would Stiggins say they macerate for 3 months?
Hard to say, Bif. Things do change when you move a chemical process from the beaker to the swimming pool sometimes, though. It could just be a yield thing, perhaps.
Josh, the Plantation Stiggins’ Fancy is now commercially available, I picked up a bottle today at K&L in RWC!
Glad to see it getting around now! Cheers
Could you do this inside a mini barrel? Just curious.
Fruits and barrels don’t get along well. If you want to add oak notes, I’d include some toasted oak chips in the jar.
It says that the pineapple and rum was macerated for three months. And then the pineapple rinds were also macerated for 3 months to extract the oils. Then redistilled and added back into the pineapple-infused rum. Now, my question is, do you remove the rinds from the flesh and place both in a separate container with a 750 ml bottle of rum each to macerate for three months?
I think the instructions are in there? It only takes a couple days to extract the flavors.