Make this Rich Caribbean Guavaberry Drink and Jam Recipe with sweet guavaberries, warming spices, sugar, and dark Dominican rum.
Sweet, warmly spiced, and filled with tropical flavor, this Rich Caribbean Guavaberry Drink and Jam Recipe offers two delicious ways to enjoy traditional guavaberries. The berries are gently simmered with cinnamon, cloves, allspice, sugar, and water until tender and concentrated.
Serve the cooked fruit mixture as a rich homemade jam, or combine it with dark Dominican rum to create an aromatic Caribbean drink. After a week of steeping, the fruit and whole spices infuse the rum with their distinctive sweet, tart, and gently spiced flavors.
Guavaberry jam is delicious spread over toast, biscuits, and crackers or served with pastries and cheese. The rum drink makes a festive choice for Caribbean holiday celebrations and an after-dinner drink for special occasions.
Directions
Step 1: Combine the Guavaberries and Spices
Place the guavaberries in a large, heavy-bottomed pot. Add the cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, allspice berries, granulated sugar, and water.
Stir gently to distribute the sugar and spices throughout the mixture.
Step 2: Simmer the Guavaberries
Place the pot over medium heat and bring the mixture to a gentle simmer.
Reduce the heat to low and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the guavaberries are very soft and the liquid has reduced significantly. The mixture should develop a thick, jam-like consistency while retaining a small amount of liquid.
Step 3: Cool the Guavaberry Mixture
Remove the pot from the heat and allow the guavaberry mixture to cool completely to room temperature.
Once the mixture has cooled, choose whether to finish it as guavaberry jam or use it to prepare the guavaberry rum drink.
Step 4: Finish the Guavaberry Jam
To make the jam, remove and discard the cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, and allspice berries.
Transfer the guavaberry jam to a clean, covered container and refrigerate until completely chilled.
Serve the chilled jam as a topping for desserts, spread it over toast, biscuits, or crackers, or pair it with cheese and pastries.
Step 5: Prepare the Guavaberry Rum Drink
To make the rum drink, leave the whole spices in the cooled guavaberry mixture.
Pour in the dark Dominican rum and stir until it is fully combined with the fruit mixture.
Step 6: Steep the Guavaberry Drink
Transfer the guavaberry and rum mixture to a clean, covered container. Refrigerate it for one week, allowing the fruit, spices, and dark rum to blend into a rich and aromatic Caribbean drink.
For a more pronounced fruit and spice flavor, the mixture may be steeped for up to two weeks before straining.
Step 7: Strain the Drink
After the steeping period, strain the guavaberry drink through a fine-mesh sieve or cheesecloth.
Allow the liquid to drain thoroughly, removing the cooked fruit solids, cinnamon sticks, cloves, and allspice berries.
Step 8: Chill and Serve
Pour the strained guavaberry drink into clean bottles or covered serving containers. Keep it refrigerated until ready to serve.
Serve the drink chilled as a festive holiday beverage or pour it into small glasses as an aromatic after-dinner drink.
Notes
Guavaberry is a Caribbean fruit with a distinctive flavor that combines sweet, tart, and gently spicy notes.
This recipe provides two serving options. To make the jam, remove the whole spices after the cooked mixture has cooled. To make the rum drink, leave the spices in the mixture during the refrigerated steeping period.
The seven-day additional time and total time apply to the guavaberry rum drink. The jam can be refrigerated and enjoyed after the cooked fruit mixture has cooled completely.
The mixture should retain a little liquid after simmering. Avoid cooking it until it becomes completely dry, especially if you plan to add the rum and prepare the drink.
The whole spices flavor the fruit as it cooks. Remove every cinnamon stick, clove, and allspice berry before serving the jam.
Use a fine-mesh sieve for a full-flavored drink with a little natural fruit sediment. For a clearer drink, line the sieve with cheesecloth before straining.
Store the guavaberry jam in a clean, airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
Keep the strained guavaberry drink refrigerated in clean, tightly covered bottles or containers.
Do not process the jam for shelf storage unless you are following a separate, tested canning recipe designed specifically for safe preservation.
Must be 21 years of age or older to purchase or consume alcoholic beverages. Please drink responsibly.
