Captain Bill's Spiced Rum Recipe

What a genius request we had given to us on Facebook! We are so tickled to hear from you, and recipe requests get us all excited! So, we scratched our heads, did some searching, maybe some experimenting (ahem) and have settled on some brilliant ideas for a Spiced Rum recipe, which we will honor with the name Captain Bill! Why not?

Washington Post

Captain Bill's Spiced Rum

1 STM whole star anise
1/2 3-inch STM cinnamon stick, broken into pieces
2 STM whole cloves
2 STM allspice berries
1 tsp STM cardamom seeds
1/4 oz (1/2 Tbs) STM nutmeg, freshly grated
1 liter light rum (good quality, please)
1 STM vanilla bean, split and scraped
Strips of peel from 1 whole orange, no pith, finely chopped

Use a mortar and pestle (found at STM) or coffee grinder (designated for spices only) to grind the star anise, cinnamon stick pieces, cloves, allspice berries, cardamom and nutmeg.

Pour the rum into a clean, clear-glass 4-cup container; save the rum's original bottle. Add the spice mixture plus the vanilla bean and scrapings and the orange peel. Seal and place on an interior windowsill for 5 days, making sure to shake the mixture each day.

After 5 days, strain through a fine-mesh strainer, then strain again to make sure all traces of the spices are removed. Discard any solids. Use a funnel to return the spiced rum to its original bottle. Be sure to label it "Captain Bill's Spiced Rum."