Suggested chili peppers for steeping in alcohol (bourbon, specifically)
I'm looking to make homemade "naughty" and "nice" shots for an upcoming holiday party, using the recipes provided by the Miracle holiday pop-up bars. The "naughty" shot consists of cinnamon sticks steeped in bourbon and simple syrup, but I'd also like to add some chili peppers for extra spice. What kind of chili peppers would work best in this application? I'm looking for something around the spice level of jalapeño, but with a flavor that complements the bourbon well, as jalapeño might be too grassy/vegetal. Either dried or fresh works for me!
Best Answer
Jalapeño would indeed not be a good choice, but if you can buy them locally red Thai chilli peppers are great for this: I use 2 of these per bottle of vodka and then a dash of liquid honey, but I put the peppers in whole and leave them be for at least 6 months.
As you seem to be in a bit more of a rush:
- Wear gloves!
- Cut them in 2
- Remove the seeds
- Cut them up in small strips
- Add them to the Bourbon a few days in advance
The "I want it all and I want it now!" method:
- Wear gloves!
- Cut them in 2
- Remove the seeds
- Fry them in enough grapeseed oil to cover them all
- Add as many drops of the spicy hot oil you now have into the bourbon until the taste is like you want it to be¹
- Serve immediately.
Note¹: The alcohol will ensure the oil gets dissolved as long as you don't start pouring it in...
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What is Italian chili pepper?
Peperoncino (Italian: [peperon\u02c8t\u0283i\u02d0no]; plural peperoncini [-ni]) is the generic Italian name for hot chili peppers, specifically some regional cultivars of the species Capsicum annuum and C. frutescens (cayenne pepper and Tabasco pepper, respectively). The sweet pepper is called peperone (plural peperoni) in Italian.What is chili tincture?
Tinctures are concentrated alcohol infusions used to season cocktails, much the same as bitters. Here Navy Strength (high-proof) gin extracts the spice and heat from fresh Thai Chili peppers, making the flavors ready to add to any cocktail you'd like to have a little heat.Can you make alcohol from chili peppers?
A good amount of time to infuse your alcohol with peppers is 3 days to 1 week. The longer you let the peppers steep in the alcohol, the more chili pepper flavor and heat you will get, though eventually, the peppers can begin to break down if they are left in long enough.Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: ROMAN ODINTSOV, Nick Collins, Artem Beliaikin, Jaouad JK