A St. Barths (rhum vanille) State of Mind

Dreaming of St. Barths but your vacation is still months away? One sip of rhum vanille (vanilla rum), a St. Barths specialty, and you will be transported to the island, buffeted by warm Caribbean breezes, imagining yourself tanning in the deck chair by your villa's pool. In St. Barths, shot glasses of this liqueur are often served after dinner, often as a gift from the restaurant, without you having to ask! We recommend trying the rhum vanille at Andy's Hideaway and La Gloriette, they are legendary!

Quick & Easy recipe

This recipe won’t take as long as the traditional version (see below) and requires just 4 ingredients. Depending on how much you want to make, you can choose what you want the “parts” to equal.

• 1 Part Vanilla Extract
• 5 Parts Dark Rum
• 2 Parts Light Rum
• 2 Parts Cane Sugar Syrup (or Maple Syrup) to be added at the end

Directions: To make Cane Sugar Syrup, put 2 parts raw cane sugar to 1 part water together and dissolve slowly over low heat. Combine the first three ingredients, and add cane sugar syrup at the end. Serve over ice. Add lemon juice if desired.

Traditional Recipe for Rhum Vanille.

This version is really tasty, but make sure to plan in advance, so you can soak the vanilla beans with the rum for a month, and then store them for 1-2 months before drinking. It makes 10 cups of rum so make sure you’re ready with an appropriately sized bottle or storage container. You could even package up cups of rum for friends as gifts, and include a fabulous coffee table book on St. Barths!

• 4 cups dark rum
• 2 cups light rum
• 10-12 vanilla beans split longways down the center
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 cups water
• 1 tablespoon glycerin

Make sure to stock up on bottles at M’bolo Rum Store in Gustavia before your flight home!