Anyone who has ever enjoyed the smooth elegance of a martini with olive has a rough idea of how the infusion process works. The tiny, pitted fruit brings a brininess to the relatively-neutral mixture of gin and vermouth.
Infusion takes this a step further, where ingredients are married in a container for weeks to create something new and often exciting.
Summer’s bounty of fruit and garden plants offers a variety of ways to punch up standard liquors and classic summer cocktails.
Cucumber and mint add a cool freshness to any spirit, while pineapple cut into rings and left in a jar should be an all-summer-long bar staple for both the boozy fruit and the flavored rum. The adventurous can introduce pork fat and bacon to enhance smoky liquors like mescal and some whiskeys.
This summer, the infusion of choice involves bell and chili peppers.
Peppers bring a “wake up” factor to any number of cocktails. For best results, try to get them as fresh as possible or dried.
Carefully wash the peppers and then slice them down the middle so that they sink. Put your peppers down the neck of the bottle or combine the peppers and spirit of choice in a separate container.
Flavor should be imparted in as little as an hour but for best results let the concoction sit for three to four weeks.
As little as one pepper can change the profile of a spirit — we recommend a minimum of three to four — it is up to your discretion how far you push the heat.
Habanero peppers are a great place to start for their combination of heat and flavor, but experimentation is encouraged by adding fresh jalapeños, smoky chipotle peppers or a fresh, sweet and bright vegetable bouquet from red and yellow bell peppers.
We recommend combining the peppers in time for National Tequila Day on July 24, to make a spicy take on a classic refreshing cocktail from south of the border.
The Red Chile-Guava Margarita
• 2.5 cups pepper-infused tequila
• 1.5 cups Triple Sec
• 1.5 cups guava nectar
• 1 cup fresh orange juice
• 1.5 cups fresh lime juice
• Ice
• Salt, lime wedges and extra peppers and chiles for garnish
Combine by stirring tequila, Triple Sec, guava nectar, orange juice, and lime juice in a pitcher.
Reserve in the refrigerator until ready to use.
To serve, rim a rocks glass with salt by rubbing a lime wedge around the outside and then dipping the glass in salt. Fill the glass with ice, add the margarita mixture, and garnish with peppers and lime wedges.
