The recipe we found called for a full bulb of garlic and between four and six Habanero peppers. We decided to go on the light side, figuring we could later add more as needed. Chopping and de-seeding was a delicate business, and I definitely didn't want Habanero oil getting into my eyes or any cuts that I may have. Personal Protective Equipment to the rescue!
We shook that jar up but good, and placed it into our closet to steep. 8 days later, we were ready to experiment. We put one shot each into two glasses, added tomato juice, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, salt, pepper, and ice, and sat down to enjoy some Bloody Marys with breakfast.
Oh boy. That was a mistake. The drinks were so spicy that they burned going down. I powered through about one-fourth of the drink, and became overwhelmed. Charming Assistant and I decided that dilution was required. We poured half of our drinks into new glasses, and added more tomato juice and ice to each. At that point, the drinks were barely consumable. I managed to finish one of my two glasses, but forfeited when confronted with drink number 2.
In retrospect, the disturbing color (kinda like pee, if we're being honest- and I would never lie to you) and the blast of spice and garlic odor should have clued us in to the fact that we'd made the vodka too strong. Alas. But! Charming Assistant and I are nothing if not determined, so we've not discarded the overly-strong alcohol. We're are going to attempt to dilute it with regular vodka, and make more drinks with a 1/4 spicy to 3/4 regular ratio of vodka. I don't know if it'll work, but its worth a shot.
But as a reminder- if you see an article telling you to use FOUR Habanero peppers in a vodka infusion, don't do it. ITS A TRAP!
Might I suggest sections of apple steeped in gin?
ReplyDeleteWe've been using mason jars rather than a sun tea jar.
Makes a lovely drink.