Rumtopf/Rumpot - have I done something wrong?

[Godesstobe]

A German relative used to serve this at Christmas when I was a teenager and I thought I would have a go at making it myself this summer. I used a recipe from the internet - layers of fruit in season, covered in caster sugar and then in rum.
I have just sampled it and it tastes very strongly of rum - basically neat rum. This probably shouldn't be a surprise but it is not how I remember it and to be honest I am not that keen on neat rum.
Is this how it is supposed to be or have I have done something wrong?

Does anyone know your relative’s recipe? I bet she went easy on the rum. Can you describe how it’s different? Did you add other flavourings?

sorry for the edits, my imagination ran away at the idea of a rumpot 😳

The relative is now dead but my mother assures me the recipe I used is how she used to make it. I bought a pot on eBay that was identical to the one my relative used. I just remember it being delicious and not just tasting overpoweringly of neat rum, as mine does.
I am not a rum drinker and I am wondering if there are different types of rum and I have used the wrong one. I used a dark rum - one bottle of Captain Morgan's I think and two bottles of supermarket own brand (as it was getting expensive to keep pouring bottles of rum in the pot).
Perhaps my portion was watered down in some way as I was only a teenager at the time.

How long have you left it. When I make slow gin I leave it for months.

What fruit did you use? I think it probably needs longer, maybe the relative left it a full year and a bit before serving it.

Also, did you squeeze or strain the fruit out of the bit you tasted or just sample the liquid?

My godmother used to make it in a special pot and I have an early memory of lying under a table at their house one Christmas, laughing and feeling the room spinning! I'd have been under 10 at the time! 😄 She served it with cream and it was delicious. Long time ago now but I think it has to be left to steep a long time. I also think she made it with vodka not rum.

What is your ratio? It is still 2.5 months to Christmas, so you still have a lot of infusing time. If in doubt you can always add more sugar later to make it more palatable.

Compare what you've done/used with a few other recipes:
https://www.chefkoch.de/rs/s0/rumtopf/Rezepte.html

But you've also not left it very long. Stop adding fruit/rum now and let it steep until christmas. Fruit infused spirits need time for the flavours to develop.

I agree that it needs to be left to steep for another couple of months yet.

Sounds amazing! I would think maybe try a different brand of rum.

Thanks for all the suggestions.

I used strawberries, raspberries, cherries, peaches and plums. The last went in nearly two months ago.

I am planning on having it at Christmas but I thought I would sample it - both fruit and liquid - today. Maybe the answer is it needs to steep longer, although the fruit certainly tasted very strongly of alcohol.

Or maybe I need to use more expensive rum. It took 3 full bottles so it wasn't exactly cheap to make.

Or perhaps it was always this strong and I didn't notice because it was served with clotted cream and a Madeira type cake.

It'll probably be fantastic for xmas 2025.

It was always lethally strong. Going to guess you are similar age to me - early 50s. This was a thing back in my late teens. Getting hammered on my parents rumtopf!

I am 20 years older than you@Sodthebloodymealplan@Sodthebloodymealplan
so perhaps my memory of just how strong it always was has faded. And I imagine it will taste different at the end of a big family meal, when we have all eaten and drunk plenty, than sampling it sober and alone in the kitchen at lunchtime!

We lived in Germany in the 80s and it was all the rage. But my mum’s ended up with flies in it.

I remember it being served on griespudding or milchreis (semilina/rice pudding)
(or ice cream, malaga flavour)

it IS supposed to be strong.
my relatives make it in september with semi dried apples/pears and some of the leftover pulp from the juicer (they make cider as well)

Looks like I should stop worrying and just enjoy it then @bluecomputerscreen . My mother said our relative used to serve it with rice pudding originally, but I only remember it with clotted cream and cake.

I'm sure it will be fine. Did you remove the stones from the fruit when you prepped it?

I used to do this with whatever excess stone fruit and when it came to strain it out, used the fruit to add to flapjacks. They were glorious.

Sorry to hear about the flies @craftysnake. I put a sheet of cling film under the rumtopf's lid to keep the brew airtight, so I am happy to say mine is definitely fly-free.

I was curious about what this dessert was so I had a quick google and Wikipedia says this:

the overproof rum should be of only 100–110 proof (50–55%), which is not commonly available at retail in all regions, but can be prepared by blending commercially available 151 or 160 proof rums with more common 80 proof brands.

Maybe your relative had access to a lower alcohol type of rum?

If you read the OP rather than Wiki you'd see she's used weaker rum rather than stronger. The recipe won't mind, the fruit is contributing a lot of liquid.

Eh? I did read the OP - she said she’d used supermarket rum which I assumed would be pretty strong.

OP, you're doing better than my mother who managed to make a rumtopf that just continued to ferment and got so strong it cracked the pot!

The recipe I used was started in June, added to every few months and ready at Christmas. It was syrupy and delicious but didn't taste of rum only.

Supermarket rum is around 40% (80 proof).

It sounds as though it will be perfect at Christmas.

I make mine with whatever spirits we have in the pantry and loads of soft fruit.
As I don't like rum much, it's never been rum based, so never had the predominant rum taste thing. Maybe it settles down and the fruit taste comes out more as it matures.
If not, I suggest try a mixture of spirits next year.

I have never seen a recipe, just taken advice from friends and aunts, so I've alway used ordinary granulated sugar, and it's turned out well.
I use the clingfilm on top, too, so no fly ingress.
I wish I'd made one this year, but I'm too late 😠