LONDON – Spicy drinks are having a moment, and it’s no longer just standard spicy margs and bloody marys. Bartenders are getting experimental to create the perfect combination with a kick.
“The same way that you want to season a steak or a pork chop, you want to add multiple layers. And I think spice does that if you do it the right way," says Turner Greaves, bartender at New York’s Sip and Guzzle.
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He makes a tequila highball called Doctor Green which he describes as “super-herbaceous, vegetal, a little bitter. It’s got tomatillo, green apple, shiso, horseradish, and then you can make it spicier with a little serrano pepper on the side.”
Customers get to add more spice with a little spice dropper delivered with their serve.
Cocktail tastes are changing from sweet to savory
James Stevenson, co-founder of Brutes of Mayfair cocktail bar in London, says drinks were very sweet when he started out 20 years ago, and now consumers' tastes have shifted.
“I think there’s a real movement toward savory cocktails," he says. "Every drink we put on the menu that is more savory or has a pickled element or spice element tends to be our bestseller.”
Stevenson makes a mezcal-based Bagheera which he describes as a turbo-spiced margarita.
“We juice (blend) rather than shaking the drink, with fresh chile and coriander," he says. They make a fresh syrup, adding tequila and freshly squeezed lime, and finish off the drink with a house-made tajin salt rim.
Agave spirits are a good match for spicy and savory
It's no coincidence both bartenders picked agave-based spirits — tequila and mezcal — for their spicy offerings.
Stevenson explains that a lot of the flavor profiles you get from agaves are fresher, more vegetal than other spirits. “They’re just very akin to chiles" he says. Noting that tequila pairs well with salt, he adds, "Spice and savory flavors are just a natural kinship.”
Alex Lyoness, bar manager at London’s FlipDog, makes his Late Night cocktail with a hint of an after-hours kebab and pickles. He uses a white tequila and a Raicilla (an agave similar to mezcal). Soy sauce brings a deep flavor, he says, and a homemade chile tincture spices things up.
He then adds an onion and olive brine “like the ultimate dirty martini,” and garnishes with a bright pink pickled turnip.
Looking for a tingly feeling
But chiles aren't the only way to add spice. Lyoness says you're looking to create a “mouthfeel.” He uses Sichuan peppercorns and the Timur berry, which he says has a cool, numbing quality. “What you’re looking for is that tingling across the palate,” he says.
Greaves recommends bringing a little classic cooking into your drinks.
“You can add ginger, you can add garlic cloves, and star anise and fennel into these drinks, and it adds so many different elements of pepper, of spice. Go home and then throw cayenne into a margarita,” he says.
How hot is too hot?
To judge the heat, try to read it on your palate, says Greaves: “If it starts creeping all the way down to your esophagus, I think that’s definitely a spice level that you can loosen up a bit.”
A good spicy drink should “give you the itches on the sides of your mouth” but not overwhelm, he says.
And don’t forget that no two chiles are the same.
“It’s all about tasting, trying and tweaking,” Anderson says.
Adding a spicy rim to your glass is an easy way to get extra kick
For a spicy rim, mix any spices from your cupboard with a good rock salt, says Anderson. (You can freshly grind the spices for a more aromatic and vibrant mix.)
He recommends coriander seed for a more citrusy mix, and black pepper or cardamom powder for a savory feel. You can even try adding fruit powders.
“Something like a freeze-dried strawberry, freeze-dried raspberry, with a little bit of spice. It’s great,” Anderson says.
Then, simply run a lemon or lime wedge along the rim of your glass and gently roll it in a shallow plate of the salt mix.
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Recipes:
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Late Night – from FlipDog London
Ingredients
1 oz. Tapatio blanco (tequila)
34 oz. La Venenosa Costa Raicilla
34 oz. Gonzalez Byass Tio Pepe Fino (dry sherry)
0.66 oz. brine mix (onion, olive, sivri pepper)
2 drops chile tincture(asterisk)
Directions: Stir together all the ingredients with ice. Serve in a chilled martini glass. Add a pickled turnip to garnish
(asterisk)Chile tincture: Submerge chiles in a sealed jar with a high-proof neutral alcohol like vodka (approx. 1-2 small chiles per 3.5 oz. of alcohol) and leave to steep for up to two weeks, shaking the jar occasionally. Then strain and transfer the contents into an eyedropper bottle.
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Bagheera - from Brutes of Mayfair, London
Ingredients
1.75 oz. Lost Explorer mezcal
0.75 oz. fresh lime juice
68 oz. Bagheera syrup(asterisk)
Small pinch of salt
Directions: Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake well until chilled. Strain into a rocks glass over cracked ice. Rim the glass with Tajin
(asterisk)Bagheera Syrup:
Ingredients
7.5 oz. simple sugar syrup
½ supermarket bunch of fresh cilantro, including stalks
1 small Thai green chile
3 jalapeño chiles
1/4 teaspoon of ascorbic acid (vitamin C powder), to stop the cilantro from turning brown
1/2 teaspoon green cardamom powder
1 thumb-size piece of peeled fresh ginger
Directions: Combine all ingredients in a large container or blender. Blend until the coriander and chiles have completely broken down and the mixture is well combined. Strain through a fine mesh strainer bag or muslin cloth. Transfer to a clean container and refrigerate.
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Doctor Green - (Sip & Guzzle, New York)
Ingredients
34 oz. green apple juice
34 oz. tomatillo juice
24 oz. green tequila(asterisk)
6 oz. Sauternes
Directions: Juice tomatillo and green apple and whisk in 2 grams ascorbic powder and 4 grams pectinase powder per liter of juice until dissolved.
Rest at room temperature or in the fridge for at least one to two hours until the juice splits into clear liquid and sediment layers. Combine all ingredients and strain through a fine mesh strainer until clear. Carbonate using a specialist drinks carbonator.
(asterisk)To make the green tequila
68 oz. Patron tequila
0.25 oz. shiso
0.25 oz. fennel
0.25 oz. horseradish
2 pcs star anise
Method: Combine the ingredients and allow to infuse at room temperature for 24 hours.
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5 songs to drink spicy cocktails to:
“Spice up your Life” – The Spice Girls