What is Bay Rum?

Well - it's not something you want to drink.

Bay rum is actually a cosmetic fragrance originally developed in the Virgin Islands from the leaves of the Bay Rum Tree. It is used primarily as a cologne or after shave lotion for men, but has also been incorporated into other products such as soaps and deodorants.

Bay rum consists mainly of a mixture of rum and bay oil. Bay oil is derived by distillation of bay leaves, preferably from the West Indian Bay Tree Pimenta racemosa, also known as the Bay Rum Tree, which is native to the West Indies. Additives may include cloves, oranges and other fruit or spices which lend a distinct aroma to the basic scent.

While once extremely popular and widely used and accepted in barbershops around the country, bay rum popularity as an after shave has declined with the advent of highly advertised and sometimes overrated designer scents and fragrances for men. However, what most people don't know and manufacturers keep mostly to themselves, is the fact that a lot of the basic formulas of more modern and popular scents for mens' cosmetics contain bay oil.

It is unlikely you will find bay rum for sale in your local grocery store, but several variations and brands of bay rum products and toiletries are still being produced and can be found in specialty or cosmetics shops.

The formula for bay rum after shave or cologne is not a secret and various recipes can be found easily on the web or in paper publications. If possible, use leaves from the bay rum tree. Alternatively, sweet bay (Laurel nobilis) leaves can be used as substitutes.

For those who want to brew their own - here are some bay rum cosmetics home recipes:

Bay Rum Aftershave Lotion

4 Ounces Vodka                                                                              2 Tablespoons Jamaican Rum 2 Dried Bay Leaves 1/4 Teaspoon Allspice 1 Stick of Cinnamon, broken in pieces Fresh Zest from a Small Orange Combine all ingredients in a container such as a bottle or mason jar with a tightly fitting lid. Put the closed container in a dark, cool place (not in the refrigerator). After two weeks, strain mixture through several layers of cheesecloth, paper towels or a coffee filter. If necessary, repeat until no residue remains. Put in an attractive bottle or atomizer and splash on or spray face after shaving.

Bay Rum Cologne

2 oz. Crushed Dried Bay Leaves 1/4 oz. Ground Cardamom 1/2 tsp Ground Cinnamon 1/2 tsp Ground Cloves 16 oz. Jamaican Rum You can use an empty liquor bottle or other container with a lid or screw-on top. Combine all ingredients and shake well. Let stand undisturbed for about a week, then strain or filter content until no residue remains.

How to Grow a Bay Rum Tree

The Bay Rum Tree ( pimenta racemosa ) is a slow growing and bushy tropical evergreen that can attain heights up to 40 feet.

Pimenta racemosa requires frost free growing conditions and will freeze if temperatures fall below 30 degrees.

The tree does best when planted in moist well drained soil in a location where it receives full sun or partial shade. The color of newly emerging leaves is a pleasing salmon pink, maturing to a rich deep and shiny green. Fuzzy white blossoms appear in early spring in small panicles or clusters. The fruit that follows is a small black oval berry which is not edible.

If you live in South Florida or another sub tropical area, bay rum trees make beautiful specimens and can also be used as an evergreen screen. Because of their ultimate height, they are not suitable to indoor or container growing except when very young.