St. Elizabeth All Spice Dram 750ML

St. Elizabeth All Spice Dram 750ML is a 22.5% ABV allspice liqueur made by steeping Jamaican pimento berries in pot-still rum. Nearly extinct in the American market until its 2008 revival, this historic pimento dram earned an A rating from Good Spirits News and has since become an indispensable ingredient behind craft cocktail bars worldwide.

Quick Facts: ABV: 22.5% (45 proof)  |  Origin: Steyr, Austria (using Jamaican rum)  |  Style: Allspice (Pimento) Liqueur  |  Distillery: Purkhart (est. 1932)

Production & Heritage

Allspice dram — also called pimento dram — traces its roots to Jamaica in the 1850s, where local distillers infused rum with the island's abundant pimento berries. The recipe had all but disappeared from the U.S. market by the late 20th century until Purkhart, a family distillery founded in 1932 in Steyr, Austria, revived it in 2008. The production process involves steeping whole allspice berries in smoky Jamaican pot-still rum, then blending with demerara sugar to balance the intense spice. The result is a uniquely positioned spirit — an Austrian-produced liqueur faithful to a traditional Jamaican recipe.

Tasting Notes

Aroma: Pungent clove dominates immediately, followed by waves of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cracked black pepper. A faint undertone of bitter cacao and star anise rounds out a nose that is unmistakably wintry and aromatic.

Taste: The entry is syrupy and sweet, with brown sugar and molasses coating the palate before the spice takes over. Mid-palate brings a drying, tongue-numbing wave of clove and baking spice that overwhelms the initial sweetness. Cocoa and menthol emerge toward the peak, adding bittersweet complexity.

Finish: Long and warming, with lingering clove, black pepper, and a faint astringency that dries the tongue and cheeks. The molasses-like depth carries well after the sip, making the finish feel richer than the 22.5% ABV might suggest.

How to Drink Allspice Dram

At 22.5% ABV, Allspice Dram functions best as a cocktail modifier rather than a standalone sipper — a half-ounce or bar spoon is typically all a drink needs. Sipping it neat in small quantities is still rewarding for those who want the full spice experience.

• Lion's Tail: The classic bourbon-and-allspice-dram cocktail, where the liqueur's clove intensity stands up to the whiskey's oak and vanilla.
• Ancient Mariner: A tiki staple combining dark rum, lime, and grapefruit — Allspice Dram threads warm spice through the citrus, tying the drink together.
• Hot Toddy (variation): Replace simple syrup with a pour of Allspice Dram in a whiskey-based toddy for natural sweetness and deep baking-spice warmth during colder months.

Best For

• Building a serious home cocktail bar with essential modifiers
• Tiki enthusiasts expanding beyond standard syrups and falernum
• Holiday entertaining where warm, spiced cocktails anchor the menu
• Gifting a bartender or cocktail hobbyist a bottle they will actually use

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Allspice Dram taste like? It opens sweet with brown sugar and molasses before a powerful surge of clove, cinnamon, nutmeg, and black pepper takes over, finishing long and warm with cocoa and menthol undertones.

How does Allspice Dram compare to Hamilton Pimento Dram? St. Elizabeth runs a bit sweeter with less prominent rum character, which tends to make it integrate more smoothly in cocktails. Hamilton Pimento Dram shows more rum presence and less sweetness, making it the preferred choice for sipping neat.

Is Allspice Dram good for cocktails? It is essentially a bartender's utility spirit — designed to be used in small quantities as a modifier, adding spice depth to tiki drinks, whiskey cocktails, and warm toddies without overwhelming other ingredients.

Where is Allspice Dram made? St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram is produced by Purkhart Distillery in Steyr, Austria, using Jamaican pot-still rum as its base and pimento berries sourced from the Caribbean.

What foods pair well with Allspice Dram? Jerk chicken or pork, where the allspice mirrors the seasoning directly; dark chocolate truffles that echo the liqueur's cocoa notes; pecan pie or bread pudding for complementary brown-sugar richness; aged cheddar, whose sharpness contrasts the sweetness; and gingerbread, which shares its warming spice profile.

What sizes does Allspice Dram come in? The standard bottle is 750ml, which is the most widely available format for this product.

Is Allspice Dram worth the price? Positioned as a moderately priced specialty liqueur, Allspice Dram delivers outsized value because a single bottle lasts a long time — most cocktail recipes call for only a half-ounce or less per drink.

Why Allspice Dram?

St. Elizabeth is widely credited with single-handedly saving allspice dram from obscurity when Purkhart revived the recipe in 2008, making it the bottle that relaunched an entire category. Its A rating from Good Spirits News confirms what bartenders already knew — this is the benchmark pimento dram against which competitors are measured. The use of genuine Jamaican pot-still rum as the base gives it a smoky backbone that synthetic alternatives cannot replicate. For anyone serious about tiki drinks, whiskey cocktails, or spice-forward mixology, no home bar is complete without it.