Infusing your spirits with fruits, vegetables, herbs and other edible items can be a fun do-it-yourself activity that will enhance your home bar. Just keep in mind that each infusion will need varying lengths of time for the flavors to fully come together — a spicy pepper isn’t going to need nearly as long as sweet strawberries, for example.
The Mexican restaurant Grizzelda’s, from the owners of Jacoby’s in East Austin, makes a cocktail called the Hot Stepper that will require infusing habaneros (one of the hottest peppers in the world) with tequila. To make this flaming-hot drink yourself, cut five of the sunset-colored peppers into strips, add them to 1 750 ml bottle of your favorite blanco tequila and let the concoction sit for five hours at room temperature.
Once the tequila has taken on the flavor of the habaneros to your liking, pour the tequila through a sieve and into a mason jar, to leave out the remaining peppers. Store the jar in a cool, dry place — and make sure you label it so no one mistakes it for something else.
This cocktail should also probably come with a warning. If you’re making it for friends, let them know its heat is not for the faint of heart.
The Hot Stepper
1 1/2 oz. Infused Habanero Tequila
1/2 oz. Red Bell Pepper Puree
1/2 oz. of agave nectar
2 dashes of Angostura Bitters
Dash of hot sauce
Combine all ingredients in a shaker and shake well. Pour into an old fashioned glass, which you can rim with habanero salt for an extra kick.
— Grizzelda’s in Austin
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