Rum Caviar tutorial recipe (2024)

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A friend of mine made something a few months ago that blew my mind. It’s called Rum Caviar, and it’s barely sweetened rum in the form of little golden spheres, just like fish eggs.

They stay like that until you eat them, and then they melt deliciously in your mouth with all that rum flavor. Absolutely fantastic, and so fun! They’re like a much more adult and sophisticated version of Vodka Gummy Bears!

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I’ve been begging my friend ever since to make these again sometime so I could post the instructions here, and he finally got a chance to do it, so here you go!

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Rum Caviar instructions

You’ll need:

  • Vegetable oil
  • Dark rum
  • Brown sugar
  • Agar-agar powder (which can be found in Asian markets, or the ethnic section of some grocery stores, or you can just buy it from Amazon)
  • A tall, narrow drinking glass
  • An eye dropper – orthis specialized caviar maker that’s made for molecular gastronomy
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Quantities

Obviously, how much you need depends on how big a batch you want to make. This recipe is for two drinks’ worth of Rum Caviar and used: 3/4 cup dark rum, 2 grams agar-agar powder, 1/4 cup brown sugar and about 20 ounces of vegetable oil.

For a bigger batch, he recommends buying: a 4 oz bag of agar-agar, a 750 ml bottle of dark rum, sugar and a bag or box sugar and a 32 oz jug of vegetable oil – scale the ingredients to the batch size you want.

Note that the vegetable oil can be re-used: just chill it in between batches, and filter it if it gets goopy. He also recommends using a kitchen scale with gram measurements to be sure you get the measurements just right.

Starting rum caviar

Fill your tall, narrow glass with vegetable oil. The taller your glass is, the better, because this is what the hot rum mixture needs to travel through to cool off and solidify.

If the glass is too short, the spheres may join at the bottom and you’ll have one giant lump of rum jelly. Place the glass of oil in the freezer and chill for 30 minutes.

When 30 minutes is up, stir 3/4 cup dark rum and 2 grams agar-agar powder in a saucepan on high heat until it begins to boil. Quickly add 1/4 cup brown sugar, stir to dissolve sugar, bring back to a boil, and remove from heat.

The sugar is important because it adds density to the rum and makes it sink in the oil. Without it, your rum would float at the top and make little half-spheres.

Let the rum mixture sit for about 2 minutes and remove the vegetable oil from the freezer.

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The eye-dropper

Suck up the rum mixture in an eye dropper and squeeze little drops of the mixture into the cold oil, making sure to keep your hand moving at all times to prevent one big ball from forming at the bottom. That is, don’t put every drop right into the middle of your oil’s surface.

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As the rum collects into spheres, it will become heavy and drop through the oil, cool off, and lay waiting for you to scoop it up from the bottom. Work quickly because the rum will solidify in the saucepan.

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If this does happen, you can melt it again on low heat, being sure to stir constantly, and continue the spherification process.

Once you’re finished, either scoop the balls out with a small slotted spoon or pour through a mesh sieve or cheesecloth to collect the spheres from the oil. Drop them in cold water for a few seconds to wash the oil off and you’re ready to go.

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Optional: if you’re making a lot of this and don’t want to go to the hassle of making little balls, you can just let the mixture cool and solidify in the sauce pan, then put it through a food processor. It comes out looking like little shards of glass, which is also really cool-looking.

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The flavor, and uses

Rum Caviar has a milder flavor than liquid rum and hardly any sweetness from the brown sugar. You can use this:

  • In cocktails that call for rum. Because the rum caviar has a little sugar and agar-agar weighing it down, and a little of the rum burns off in the cooking, use a 1.5 to 1 ratio. That is, if a cocktail calls for 1 ounce of rum, try 1 1/2 ounces of rum caviar.
  • As a drink itself – it’s a wonderful treat all by itself, served with a spoon.
  • Put it over ice cream and bananas.
  • As a way to serve eggnog to drinking and non-drinking guests, a problem for many hosts and hostesses around the holidays – just make a batch of no-alcohol eggnog, and spoon in some of the Rum Caviar for your drinking guests. People will still be talking about it next year!
  • Served in a bowl with a spoon. Served this way, it captures the feel of caviar – or dessert.

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Storage

  • How to store: in an airtight container, in the fridge, with a few tablespoons of water at the bottom.
  • How long they’ll keep: we estimate at least several weeks, based on the ingredients and their shelf life, but have not tested this (both times he made them, they got consumed within 72 hours).
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Yield: 1 small batch

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Rum Caviar is a fun molecular gastronomy treat. It tastes just like rum, but the beads pop in your mouth like fish eggs.

Ingredients

  • Vegetable oil
  • Dark rum
  • Brown sugar
  • Agar-agar powder
  • A tall, narrow drinking glass
  • An eye dropper

Instructions

    1. Fill your tall, narrow glass with vegetable oil.
    2. Place the glass of oil in the freezer and chill for 30 minutes.
    3. Stir 3/4 cup dark rum and 2 grams agar-agar powder in a saucepan on high heat until it begins to boil.
    4. Quickly add 1/4 cup brown sugar, stir to dissolve sugar, bring back to a boil, and remove from heat.
    5. Let the rum mixture sit for about 2 minutes and remove the vegetable oil from the freezer.
    6. Suck up the rum mixture in an eye dropper and squeeze little drops of the mixture into the cold oil.
    7. Once you're finished, either scoop the balls out with a small slotted spoon or pour through a mesh sieve or cheesecloth to collect the spheres from the oil.
    8. Drop them in cold water for a few seconds to wash the oil off and you're ready to go.

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Read Next:

  • Tropico Rum Drink Recipe
  • Vodka Gummy Bears Recipe (Quickest Method)
Rum Caviar tutorial recipe (2024)

FAQs

How to make alcohol caviar pearls? ›

Directions:
  1. In a medium saucepan combine 1 ¼ cup water and 4 grams of Sodium Alginate. ...
  2. Bring to a boil, and then set aside for 10 minutes.
  3. Measure out 1/3 cup of the sodium alginate syrup and stir in the guava juice/vodka mix. ...
  4. In a separate bowl combine 2 cups water and 1 gram of Calcium Lactate.

What alcohol is good with caviar? ›

Caviar and Drink Pairings

Champagne, rosés (like Malene Rosé), or sparkling wines are all great choices. If you want to go Russian style, choose a chilled, high quality vodka. Flavored vodka, like Ketel One Botanical Cucumber Mint would pair well too.

How much agar agar for spherification? ›

Step 1: Cold Oil Spherification - Super Easy Molecular Gastronomy Spheres. Ingredients Needed: Agar Agar - 1/4 teaspoon. Liquid - 1/3 C + 1 1/2 teaspoons (I used a caffeinated V8 Energy Drink!)

How long does cocktail caviar last? ›

While Cocktail Caviar and Boba POPS do not expire, we recommend using them within 30 days of opening for maximum freshness, flavor, and pop.

How to make caviar like balls? ›

In a small bowl, mix together your liquid of choice with the sodium alginate solution in a roughly 2:3 v/v ratio (liquid of choice: sodium alginate solution). Using a pipette or syringe, gently squeeze the liquid out drop by drop into the calcium chloride bath. Small spheres will form.

What can you not eat with caviar? ›

Keep it simple. Don't serve caviar with too many spices. While many chefs and home cooks have been experimenting with caviar pairings, they still follow one unwritten rule: always let the unique flavors of caviar shine. So never serve your caviar with too many spices, as these will drown out the rich taste of caviar.

Should you drink vodka or caviar first? ›

Lo recommends drinking a small glass of Beluga vodka in one go (don't go nuts, the small glass holds about a shot's worth of vodka) before tasting the caviar, because the clean taste of the spirit and the “explosiveness” of the alcohol releases the full flavour of the roe.

Is beluga caviar illegal? ›

Legality. In 2005, the United States made it illegal to import beluga caviar and beluga sturgeon into the country, because of the animal's endangered status. However, caviar from beluga hybrid species are still for sale in the country.

Which is better xanthan gum or agar agar? ›

Use Xanthan Gum at a 1:1 ratio for a great agar agar swap. Just sprinkle, whisk, or blend it into your recipe to thicken things up! Heads-up: At the end of the day, Xanthan Gum is more about stabilizing and thickening than gelling. No wonder it's a champ in cakes, dressings, syrups, sauces, etc.

What liquids are best for spherification? ›

A: The best liquids for spherification are those with a high water content and low acidity, such as fruit juices.

Is alginate the same as agar agar? ›

Alginate forms softer and more elastic gels than agar agar. While agar agar and alginate are both used as thickeners, their unique properties make them suitable for distinct applications. Agar agar is ideal for creating firm and brittle gels, while alginate is better suited for softer, more elastic gels.

How to tell if caviar has gone bad? ›

A strong, fishy odor indicates spoilage. Color and Appearance: Any significant changes in color or appearance can be a sign of deterioration. Texture: The eggs should be firm yet delicate. If they become mushy or overly hard, the caviar is likely spoiled.

Why is caviar so expensive? ›

The high cost of caviar can be attributed to its rarity and scarcity, primarily driven by the declining population of sturgeon, the fish species responsible for producing these prized fish roe. Sturgeon species, have experienced significant declines in their numbers due to overfishing and habitat destruction.

What alcohol goes with caviar? ›

White wine - Yes: A chilled white wine is one of the most popular pairings for caviar. Overall, lean toward dry white wines rather than those with fruity notes. Champagne - Yes: Sparkling wines like champagne are also a great caviar pairing.

Can you use alcohol for Spherification? ›

This process can be used to form spheres with liquids which are high in dairy, alcohol or acidity. There spheres can be made in advance and served later without compromising texture or flavour as the gelling process stops once the spheres are removed from the sodium alginate bath and 'rinsed' in water.

What kind of alcohol is Pearl? ›

Pearl Vodka is expertly crafted in micro batches, distilled five times and filtered for ultimate smoothness, resulting in a classic, clean and gluten-free vodka.

How is Pearl vodka made? ›

Made with 100% Western Canadian wheat and pure Canadian Rocky Mountain water, Pearl Vodka is expertly crafted in micro-batches, distilled five times and filtered for ultimate smoothness and taste.

References

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