What to add for the best flame

[Lamington-Child]

So I want to burn rum. For cocktail reasons. I make tiki drinks.

Now any overproof rum will burn, but it will burn with a relatively weak blue flame. The wisdom that I have found online is to use lemon extract instead, as it has a high alcohol content and the other ingredients will cause it to burn with a bright red flame - much more impressive. Now this advice comes out of America and refers to the McCormick brand extract that is much higher proof than anything in Australia. What is available here is not suitable. Which leads me to what I'd like to discuss...

I wish to take some of my own rum and add whatever I need to to it to make it burn red. The first thing that comes to mind is lemon peels (presumably it is the oils that make the relevant contribution, but perhaps there's other materials too?), but does anybody have any knowledge on this or suggestions for what else I might try?

[Wellsy]

Do you know any bartenders as they will know how the get that effect from commercial spirits and additives

[Lamington-Child]

I've spoken to a couple yeah, their strategy is less improving the flame and more just playing with fire, like having a separate torch and sprinkling cinnamon over that. So it creates an impressive show but and the end of it the flame on the drink still appears small and weak. None that I have talked to at least have considered trying to improve that flame.

[Wellsy]

Maybe that is the answer then mate. If the commercial guys can’t do it then it may not be achievable for us home distillers.

[Lamington-Child]

Well, I think they're just less interested in trying to be honest. Other methods get them a suitable result and playing around with high proof spirits isn't worth the time or money for them. For me, burning a litre of rum is fairly inconsequential. I don't want to write off the idea immediately.