Rum Cream Liqueur Recipe

Many people love Irish cream liqueurs, like Bailey's or Bushmill's. These cream liqueurs are gentle and full of flavour, which appeals to a large section of the population. On the rocks or in a coffee, you really can't go wrong. So what makes these liqueurs so special? Well, I'll try to explain but you may be surprised to find that there really isn't anything magical about these products. One cool thing is that you can make this liqueur at home and using rum is a great way to make a different version.

The reason Bailey's is such a popular liqueur is because of the flavours. Any drink with chocolate, cream, vanilla, coffee and Irish whiskey will be a hit. The alcohol is sufficiently low so that it doesn't offend the palates of non-drinkers. It is also a versatile liqueur. It can be used in coffee, on desserts or on its own.

This magical combination of ingredients is relatively easy to make and you can probably make a better version if you put a little effort into locating quality ingredients. Many websites and cook books have recipes to make Bailey's or Rum Cream. The problem with a lot of the 'clone' type recipes is that they use cheap ingredients like chocolate syrup, yep the stuff you put in milk. Now there is nothing really wrong with chocolate syrup, but we can do so much better using high quality chocolate like Bernard Callebaut, Valrhona or El Ray. It will make your rum cream that much better than anything you can buy in a store. Also, using a good quality rum like Havana Club, Appleton or Cockspur will go along way to making a great drink.

As for the coffee part, instant crystals work but if you want a more gourmet approach, simply put your fresh ground coffee (two or three teaspoons) into a filter paper and secure tightly. Allow the coffee to soak in the rum for ten minutes. Squeeze the filter paper lightly to extract the rum and coffee. The coffee will infuse rum and you will get a better coffee flavour in your cream liqueur.

Rum cream is a very versatile liqueur. Not only can it substitute for Irish cream, it can be used in desserts or as a dessert sauce. This cream liqueur can be used in cheese cake or used as a base for other desserts. Simply pour an ounce or two onto a plate, swirl it around and the place your dessert on top. Now you have a very professional presentation, with a gourmet dessert sauce.

This is just a standard rum cream recipe, but you can play around with it to make it match your personal preferences. You can even make traditional Irish cream by substituting Irish whiskey or you can make bourbon cream.

Rum Cream Liqueur

1 Can Sweetened Condensed Milk (14 oz.)
1 Cup Heavy Cream
1 1/2 Cup Amber Rum
1 oz Dark Caramel Syrup
2 oz Gourmet Chocolate
4 tsp Instant Coffee
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 tsp Goldschlager Liqueur

1. Put cream in a pot and bring to a simmer
2. Add the chocolate to the cream and stir until completely melted
3. Remove the pot from the heat source
4. Add the sweetened condensed milk, instant coffee, vanilla, caramel to the pot
5. Stir until completely combined
6. Add the rum and Goldschlager and stir
7. Using a hand or stick blender, blend for two minutes to emulsify the mixture*
8. Pour into bottle and store in your refrigerator

* If the rum cream is just stirred it will separate. If it does this then just shake vigorously and serve.