Spicing Up Your Cocktails

The Bloody Mary is a perfect example that drinks do not have to stay within a certain flavor profile like dry, fruity, sweet or sour. No, there's another category of drinks that are intriguing, and although they may not work all the time, they are a nice change from the ordinary if you're willing to brave it out. These are the spicy drinks and if you have the taste buds that can handle hot peppers, fire-hot chili and spicy salsas you may find some of these interesting.

There are many ways to add a little hot and spicy to your drinks. As in the Bloody Mary, Bloody Maria, Ginger Mary and other tomato mixed drinks, the most common way to add some heat is with a little Tabasco or hot sauce. There are many hot sauces available and they are fun to experiment with, including the green jalapeno hot sauce that make the Killer Blowfish interesting. Whole, hot peppers like the habanero and jalapeno of the Habanero Martini and Icy Spicy Martini can also be used to infuse cocktails directly in the glass, or you can also obtain the heat from more exotic ingredients like the wasabi of the Cape Samurai.

As you can see in all of these drinks the key to drinking spicy-hot is to offset that burn with other ingredients - balance is key - whether that is a heavy spirit base, fruit juices or herbs and vegetables that have a cooling effect. I am one of those lucky people who thoroughly enjoys spice and in food it's usually the theory of "the hotter the better." However, I've learned from experience that when drinking spicy there is a fine line between something that is palatable and enjoyable and something that is simply burned and should be tossed down the drain. So it is best to take it easy on the heat because even the coldest drink will not quench some burns and you can do some serious damage to your body if you ingest too much heat. Also, if you burn your taste buds early, it will ruin any drink after that and may do so for a day or two and that is never any fun.

Anyway, lets get spicy!