Ghost Chili Vodka
Makes 1 Liter
Though this technique can be used with any of our dried chilis (use our chili heat scale to decide), we like using ghosts because of the daredevil aspect they bring to spicy cocktails. The aji panca and pasilla negro chilis introduce extra fruitiness without bringing too much added heat. Chopping the mild chilies up allows their milder flavor & color to infuse faster into the vodka while sending the pieces to the bottom. Leaving the ghost chili whole keeps it from heating the alcohol up too fast, and the air trapped inside the chili floats it prominently at the top of the bottle (for a couple weeks at least)…so everyone knows what they’re in for. Try using this to add pep to your bloody marys!
INGREDIENTS
- 1 liter good quality vodka
- 1 dried Ghost Chili
- 1 dried Aji Panca Chili
- 1 dried Pasilla Negro Chili
DIRECTIONS
1
2
3
4
5
- WARNING:
Your ghost chile vodka will get hotter the longer it steeps. The heat was noticeable even after a couple hours. Two weeks later, it had some serious kick (but still tolerable). To control the heat, taste it every couple days and strain out the chilies once it’s as hot as you like, or regularly consume & replace part of the vodka in the bottle with fresh vodka (it’s a tough job, but somebody’s got to do it). You could also mix your ghost vodka with plain vodka as part of your cocktail mixology.
To make milder (but still quite hot) vodka, replace the ghost chilies with a habanero chili (or an even milder organic Aji Cereza chili). To add notes of smokiness, try chipotle chilies or smoked serrano chilies.
Comments 1
I bet this would be fabulous in a blood mary! =]