Real Rum and Extract Rum

It will taste okay using rum but not the same. An extract is concentrated flavor. The problem is to use enough rum you would be getting whoever eats that drunk and the recipe won't turn out right because it will have too much liquid.

Tracy!! how could you, the rum, the poor wasted rum. :(

you could reduce the rum on the stove to concentrate the flavor and boil off the alcohol. it's a waste of perfectly good rum though! :)

Extract is highly concentrated. If you use the same amount of real rum there won't be a much of a rum flavor. If you can substitute the rum for another liquid in the recipe it might work, but I wouldn't trust it and, again it will alter the product. If the rum flavoring goes into a whipped cream part of the eclairs you cannot use the amount of real rum you need to get the flavor you want because it will water down the cream if you use more than the recipe calls for in extract.

I could maybe give a better answer if I had the recipe.

You can make the eclairs using a different extract flavor.

My mom, who is a chef in a Michelin-starred restaurant, always says that recipes are suggestions. She's a firm believer in using what you have on hand rather than running to the store. Try it with the rum, and if you need to tweak the recipe to taste, you can do so. Or make the eclairs with almond extract instead (or whatever else you may have handy). Run with it, make it your own! :)

I would look at what extracts you have on hand and use one of those as rum extraxt is fairly concentrated and if you accomplish the same flavor you wil either need to use more or concentrate it yourself which could alter the flavor. I'd go for almond, hazelnut or other non citrus extract.

Poor some in and have a party! Rum is my drink.

It should work just fine. Use the same amount as you would for the extract. :-)