Allspice
Allspice is the dried, unripe berry of a tropical evergreen tree in the myrtle family. It resembles a large, smooth brown peppercorn. In beverages it is used whole or cracked to steep in hot drinks, syrups, and infusions, and ground in spice blends. It is a single spice, not a mixture, though its aroma recalls several spices at once.
How allspice is prepared
Steeped in rum to make the Caribbean liqueur known as pimento dram or allspice dram. Added to Jamaican sorrel and other spiced holiday infusions. A common component of mulling spice blends for hot wine, cider, and ale, and of their non-alcoholic counterparts. Used in tiki-style cocktails and spiced syrups, and in modern zero-proof allspice cordials and warm spiced juices.
Other preparations
FERAL uses Ginger, Allspice, Juniper and Chili Extract in N°2 White Beet Ginger Allspice: a botanical extract of ginger, allspice, juniper berries and chili pepper. The extraction method is not specified.[6]
In depth
A Spice of the Caribbean and Mesoamerica
Allspice comes from Pimenta dioica, a tree native to the islands of the Greater Antilles and to the forests of southern Mexico and Central America. Harvesters pick the berries green and dry them, traditionally in the sun, until they turn brown and brittle. Drying must be done carefully so the aromatic oils stay in the fruit. Indigenous peoples of the region used the plant long before European contact. Its berries and wood flavored and smoked food, and the fragrant leaves were used much like bay. When Europeans reached the Caribbean, they took the round berries for a kind of pepper, and the Spanish-derived names pimienta and pimento followed the spice into trade. English merchants were calling it allspice by 1621 because it seemed to unite cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove in a single berry. That quality made it a convenient shortcut for the spiced drinks of the period.[1]
Jamaica and the Pimento Dram
Jamaica became the world's main source of allspice. Growers there long guarded the tree against export, and for years attempts to raise it from seed elsewhere failed. The island's pairing of allspice with its other great product, rum, gave rise to pimento dram. This liqueur is made by macerating the berries in rum and usually sweetening the result. Also called allspice dram or pimento cordial, it has been traded commercially since at least the mid-19th century. Jamaican exhibitors presented examples at the London International Exhibition of 1862. The flavor is intensely clove-like with cinnamon and nutmeg undertones, so a small measure goes a long way. It functions more as a seasoning for drinks than as a sipping spirit.[2]
Sorrel and Caribbean Holiday Infusions
In Jamaican homes, allspice also appears in non-distilled drinks. The best known is sorrel, the deep-red Christmas beverage brewed from the dried calyces of roselle hibiscus. Cooks steep the calyces in hot water with fresh ginger and whole pimento berries, often with cloves or orange peel, then sweeten and chill the tea. It is served plain for all ages, and some households add a splash of rum for adults. The same approach of simmering whole allspice with ginger, citrus, and sugar runs through other Caribbean home infusions and spiced punches. Emigrant communities have carried the drink to Latin America, North America, and Britain.[3]
Europe's Mulled Wines and Spiced Ales
Europe had heated, spiced wine long before allspice arrived. Roman writers mention it, and medieval recipes for hippocras called for Asian spices such as cinnamon, ginger, and grains of paradise. Once allspice became cheap and plentiful through Atlantic trade, it slipped naturally into these drinks as a stand-in for, or companion to, clove and nutmeg. Today it is a routine ingredient in mulling spice blends sold across Britain, Germany, Scandinavia, and North America. These blends season red wine, glögg-style Nordic Christmas drinks, and hot cider. Its strong affinity for citrus peel and cinnamon helps explain its place in these recipes. Allspice is also deeply embedded in Polish and Nordic kitchens, where it is valued for its warming character.[4]
Wassail and Mulled Cider
In England, the wassail bowl of Twelfth Night was historically filled with hot ale, cider, or mead. Nutmeg, ginger, and sugar seasoned it, and roasted apples or toast floated on top. Later versions, especially in cider-growing regions and in North America, added allspice to the spice mix. Modern wassail and mulled cider recipes very often call for whole allspice berries alongside cinnamon sticks, cloves, and orange slices. Where the drink is made for children or non-drinkers, the same spices go into heated apple juice. This continues the tradition's communal, seasonal spirit without the alcohol.[5]
Tiki Culture and the Cocktail Revival
Pimento dram found an international audience through mid-20th-century tropical drinks. Bartenders working in the tiki idiom used it to add a baking-spice depth to rum punches. The spirit-forward classic known as the Lion's Tail pairs allspice dram with whiskey and lime. The liqueur became hard to find outside the Caribbean for several decades. The late-20th- and early-21st-century cocktail revival brought it back, along with homemade versions. Allspice now appears widely in spiced syrups, bitters, and falernum-style cordials in contemporary bars.[2]
Allspice in No- and Low-Alcohol Drinks Today
Allspice has become a key tool for makers of no- and low-alcohol beverages. Its assertive, warming flavor helps supply the sense of body and heat that alcohol usually provides. Non-alcoholic allspice cordials and syrups imitate the character of pimento dram in zero-proof tiki drinks. Spiced hot apple and grape juices draw on the same mulling blends used for wine, much like the children's punches served at European Christmas markets. Allspice also appears in autumnal coffee and tea drinks seasoned with pumpkin-pie-style spice mixes, and in spiced shrubs and ginger-based infusions. Across all these uses, whole berries are generally preferred for steeping, because they release flavor gradually and are easy to strain out.[4]
References
- [1]EncyclopediaAllspice — Wikipedia↑§1
- [2]EncyclopediaPimento dram — Wikipedia↑§2↑§6
- [3]EncyclopediaJamaican cuisine — Wikipedia↑§3
- [4]EncyclopediaMulled wine — Wikipedia↑§4↑§7
- [5]EncyclopediaWassail — Wikipedia↑§5
- [6]Product informationN°2 White beet Ginger Allspice↑prepared