Hot spirits

Hot Spirits 

or Habanero infused booze

Last year on our vacation to Disney World we spent some quality time enjoying some great tequila and Margarita’s in the Mexican pavilion at Epcot. At La Cava del Tequila we did a tequila flight which was wonderful and then we each had a Jalapeño Lime margarita or two. 

These margaritas had your typical sweetness which was only enhanced by the slight heat of the Jalapeno without being overly hot, this paired so well together. After an hour or 2 of respite from the heat and sun of Orlando’s steamy September afternoons we were ready to head back out with new attitude’s to conquer the rest of Epcot. I will say after that much tequila our personal meeting with Donald Duck was hilarious. 

This year along with all of our herbs and Cayenne Peppers we grew several Habanero Pepper plants and had them coming out of our ears. So what to do with them but of course infuse some tequila so we can attempt to make our own version of that hot sweet sensation.  While we were at it we also infused some vodka so that our Bloody Mary’s had a little more zip.  We also finely diced up some Habanero and put it in our margarita salt for our glass rims.   

First let’s cover the infusion portion of this followed by the actual Habanero Lime Margarita.

We took about 3 Habaneros and sliced them in half and placed them seeds and all in the tequila, since our bottle of vodka was 1.75 size we added 4 Habanero’s. A word of caution please wash your hands immediately after touching your peppers or else you may end up with some burning eyes if you accidentally touch them. 

Our alcohol of choice was Cabo Wabo Tequila Blanco and Smirnoff Vodka. We let them sit for about 10 days and then strained all of the Habanero and seeds out.

       

Our first batch of tequila we tried we let sit for 14 days and this was a touch too hot for my enjoyment though Mark does enjoy his heat. This second bottle was a little smoother. 

Habanero’s are only surpassed in heat by Ghost Peppers so if you are using Jalapeño Peppers you may want to let them sit longer than 10 days, since they are not as hot as Habanero's. Just taste test your spirits until they are of the heat you wish. I know it's a hard job but somebody's got to do it, who better then you!!!!!

Habanaro Salt for a robust salted rim

Marks Habanero Lime Margaritas 

1 Shot of Cointreau

2 Shots of Tequila 

3 Shots of Lime Margarita Mixer we prefer Tres Agaves Organic Margarita mix it's not as sweet or as fake tasting as some other mixers on the market. 

Sprig of Basil leaves

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice cubes add above ingredients reserving basil for the top. Now shake, shake, shake and shake some more for that wonderful frothiness. Pour out into a glass that has been rimmed with salt. Top with a piece of freshly pinched Basil it add's an earthy note and a herbal fragrance to this marvelous marg. Enjoy immediately. 

Here’s to Happy Drinking Cheers