RECIPE: Spicy Pineapple Cocktail With A Special Garnish

July 22, 2015 at 6:10 pm · Filed under Cocktails & Spirits, Giftable, Recipes

A spicy pineapple-tequila cocktail with chile
liqueur. Photo courtesy Butter & Scotch |
Brooklyn.

At our request, mixologist Allison Kave of Butter & Scotch in Brooklyn sent us the recipe for her Grilled Pineapple Cocktail. The cocktail itself isn’t grilled, but the garnishes are.

Allison uses a mix of tequila and mezcal, plus Ancho Reyes Ancho Chile Liqueur. If you like sizzle, Ancho Reyes is a real find. You can add heat to other cocktails, or sip it straight.

And, give it as a host or holiday gift for those who share your spicy palate.

While you do get lots of chile heat from the liqueur, it is balanced by the sweetness of liqueur—a dimension lacking in hot chile-flavored vodkas, such as Hangar One Chipotle Vodka.

If you can’t get your hands on Ancho Reyes (DeKuyper also makes a chile liqueur) make a less spicy cocktail with orange liqueur and a shake of hot sauce.

If you don’t have mezcal and don’t want to buy a bottle, replace it with more tequila.

RECIPE: GRILLED PINEAPPLE COCKTAIL

Ingredients For 1 Drink

1 ounce tequila

.5 ounce Ancho Reyes Liqueur

.5 ounce mezcal

1 ounce pineapple juice

.5 ounce lemon juice

.5 ounce simple syrup (recipe)

Cracked ice

Optional garnish: grilled or seared ham and/or pineapple cubes

Cocktail pick

Preparation

1. COMBINE all ingredients but the garnish in a cocktail shaker with cracked ice. Shake vigorously until chilled. (Bartender tip: when the shaker is frosty/misty on the outside, the drink is chilled.)

2. STRAIN into a chilled coupe, Martini or other glass. Top with a skewer of garnishes.

Garnish Variations

The small cube of grilled ham looks elegant in the photo above. But frankly, if we’re going to grill ham or pineapple at home—or even serve it ungrilled—we’re going to turn it into a nibble.

So, make the cubes as large as you like, and use as many as you like. Separately, you can make ham and pineapple skewers to serve with the drinks. You can add:

Sweet-hot pickled chiles (recipe below)

Peppadews (they come in sweet red, sweet golden and hot red varieties)

Sweet gherkins or pickle chips

More Variations

You can play with other ingredients in the recipe; for example:

Increase the pineapple juice.

Use chile vodka (or even spiced rum) instead of tequila.

Eliminate the heat, by substituting orange liqueur for chile
liqueur.

Substitute lime juice for the lemon juice.

Add a sugar rim to offset the heat (turbinado sugar or other raw
sugar—Sugar In The Raw is turbinado sugar).

Use fresh wedges of pineapple or boiled ham, instead of
grilled/seared garnishes.

CONFUSED BY THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF SUGAR?

There are so many different types, it’s easy to get confused. Our Sugar Glossary explains them all.

RECIPE: QUICK-PICKLED HOT & SWEET CHILES

Ancho chile-infused liqueur, for mixing or drinking straight. Photo courtesy Ancho Reyes.

You can buy hot and sweet pickled chiles (check out these from Mrs. Renfro’s, Texas Pickle Works, or Texas Wild. And don’t forget hot peppadews.

Or, you can make your own. They won’t taste the same as the commercial brands, but they’ll be very tasty and ready in an hour! If you want, you can toss pearl onions and/or garlic cloves into the pickling liquid, and use them with the cocktail above or for other recipes.

Ingredients

1/2 to 1 pound chiles, stems removed*

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 cup cider vinegar

1 cup white vinegar

1 cup light brown sugar (you can substitute table sugar, but brown sugar delivers better flavor)

Optional: Pearl onions and/or garlic, as desired

1 tablespoon pickling spices

*To reduce the chile heat, also remove the white pith and seeds. Whenever cutting hot chiles, be sure to wear gloves; then remove and wash them (or throw away disposables) to avoid getting burning capsaicin in your eyes.

Preparation

1. CLEAN and cut the chiles into 1/4 inch slices—you want them thick enough to skewer. If you have very small chiles, like bird’s eye or pequin, simply de-stem them and pickle them whole. Place them in a container with a lid.

2. COMBINE all the other ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Pour the hot liquid over the chiles; add the lid and shake to fully coat. Refrigerate for at least 10 minutes to bring to room temperature. They will stay firm in the fridge for up to 10 days.

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