I made this cocktail a few days ago, but it’s quite ironic that I chose today of all days to publish it, being that it’s Wilbur Scoville’s, an American chemist who helped develop a scale to measure the hotness of peppers, 151st birthday. So this one is for you Wilbur!
One of our friends took a trip to New Mexico and came back with a bag of dried spicy chiles for me and I knew that I would put them to good use in sauces, meats, chilis, and soups. What I didn’t expect was for them to inspire a cocktail! Being in the midst of winter here in the Pacific Northwest, it’s been a pretty steady succession of gloom, rain, more gloom, and more rain. While that type of forecast is perfect for sun-avoiding vampires like myself, it can still start to get to you after awhile. To boost my mood I always turn to citrusy cocktails and spicy food, but I figured I would just combine the two this time.
A simple blend of vodka, lemon juice, spicy chipotle chili powder, and honey make for a complex smokey and citrusy cocktail. I topped the whole thing off with club soda for some bubbly and of course garnished with the chiles that inspired the drink! Whether you’re looking to fight the winter gloom and doom or you’re just wanting to liven up your palate a bit, you’ll love this spicy twist!
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(makes 1 cocktail)
Ingredients:
1 1/2 oz vodka
1 1/2 oz fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp spicy chipotle chili powder
1 Tbs honey
Ice
Club soda
Dried chiles and fresh lemon slices for garnish
For rim:
1/2 tsp honey
1 Tbs coarse sea salt
1/4 tsp spicy chipotle chili powder
Prep your glass by rubbing 1/2 tsp of honey around the rim. Mix salt and chili powder together in a small shallow dish. Press the edges of the honey coated rim into the salt mixture to coat.
In a cocktail shaker combine vodka, lemon juice, chili powder, and honey. Shake vigorously for 20-30 seconds. It may also be necessary to stir mixture together to get honey off the bottom of the shaker and fully dissolved. Strain into an ice filled glass, top with a bit of club soda, garnish, and serve!
Enjoy responsibly!
