SpiceLines

“I’ll show you,” he offered.

Moments later, a martini glass with a chile perched on the rim drifted into view.

I took a drink.

A powerful wave of alcohol, icy cold, swept over me. Then an undercurrent of ripe red chile made itself known, with a slow burn that that got hotter, stopping just short of a conflagration. A little fruit, a trace of sweetness, a hint of mysterious spice. And that was just the first sip.

“What’s the name of this drink,” I asked. “Not repeatable,” he laughed.

The next day, I plucked the last red jalapenos and serranos from the drought-stricken bushes in the cocktail garden. Into a bottle they went, along with some Polish vodka. I felt rather crafty infusing the alcohol with the bright peppers, especially since the bottle stayed on the counter where I could admire it whenever I walked by.

After a while I tasted it. Slight chile flavor, not hot at all. So I plucked one more ripe serrano and slit it in half, exposing its volcanic seeds to the vodka. Around nine that evening I took a drink. Fabulous.

It took a few tries to get the proportions right—yes, yes, someone has to do it—but here’s the recipe for the cocktail now known in our house as Jim's Slow Burn.

Thai Chile Infused Vodka with Ginger and Citrus

For best results, start infusing the vodka with chile the night before. While you’re waiting for the vodka to get hot enough, make the simple syrup with ginger. Even though you only need a little for this cocktail, you'll find lots of other uses for the spicy syrup--start by using it in the mojito of your choice.

Makes 1 cocktail

Ingredients for the cocktail:

1-1/2 ounces chile-infused vodka (see below)
½ teaspoon ginger simple syrup (see below)
½ teaspoon fresh orange juice
½ teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 Thai or other red chile for garnish

Method for the cocktail:

1. Combine all the ingredients except the chile for garnish in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Cover and shake for 1 minute. Strain into a martini glass. Cut a horizontal slit in the side of the chile and perch it on the edge of the glass. Serve at once.

Ingredients for the chile-infused vodka:

5 or 6 whole red, ripe peppers—Thai, Jalapeno or Serrano, depending on the level of heat desired
2 cups vodka

Method for the chile-infused vodka:

Combine all but one of the chiles and the vodka in a bottle large enough to hold the mixture comfortably. Slit the remaining chile in half and add it to the bottle. Let infuse for at least 8 hours, but preferably overnight.

You can strain the mixture when it reaches the desired level of heat, or leave the chilies in so that it gets hotter and hotter.

Ingredients for the ginger simple syrup:

1 cup white sugar
1 cup water
2 to 3 inches fresh ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped

Method for the ginger simple syrup:

Bring the sugar and water to a boil in a small pan over high heat. Boil until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat, stir in the ginger chunks, cover and let cool. Let the ginger simple syrup steep for 3 hours for the fullest flavor. Strain and pour into a small bottle. Refrigerate until ready to use.