TASTE Winter 2022-23

Some Like it Hot T he thirst for spicy Margaritas, gingery Moscow Mules and hot Caesars and Micheladas might compounds like capsaicin (which gives peppers their heat) cause the body to release endorphins, which counter intense or painful sensations in your mouth. Just as salsa sales have started to top ketchup in grocery

just have spiked a warming trend across the mixology world. Spiced cocktails are truly having a moment this winter. It’s the ideal time to refresh seasonal flavours and festive favourites with a spike of heat from various dried, fresh and preserved ingredients, many of which might already be in your pantry! For anyone who keeps an essential bottle of hot sauce in a desk drawer, purse or pocket, the answer to why we crave spicy tastes is obvious. That feel-good glow you get from ingesting something spicy is a real physical response. Research shows that spicy

stores, warming, spicy, hot and palate- tingling ingredients have recently made their way from kitchen to bar, where they can be used to piquant effect. Here are five classic cocktails with a spicy twist to recreate this winter. Shake up a classic Daiquiri by tinting it coral from a bright winter crop of blood oranges. Dashes of spicy Caribbean cocktail bitters and hot sauce also lend rosy warmth to the drink.

BLOOD ORANGE SPICY DAIQUIRI 1½ oz (45 ml) Havana Club 3-Year-Old Rum 1½ oz (45 ml) freshly squeezed blood orange juice ½ oz (15 ml) freshly squeezed lime juice ½ oz (15 ml) simple syrup * 2 to 3 dashes Angostura bitters 2 to 3 dashes hot sauce (such as Tabasco)

orange zest or a fresh or dried red chili pepper, for garnish

In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, add rum, citrus juices, syrup, bitters and hot sauce. Shake vigorously for 30 seconds, or until thoroughly chilled. Add additional bitters or hot sauce, to taste, then shake to combine. Strain through a fine cocktail sieve into a wine or cocktail glass, then top with cubed ice. Garnish and serve. * 1:1 ratio of sugar dissolved in boiling water. Allow to cool before using.

HAVANA CLUB 3-YEAR-OLD AÑEJO RUM Cuba $26.99 222554 A pale lemon yellow colour, this lightly aged rum has grassy sugarcane and caramel-spice notes that make

it a flavourful cocktail base.

100

Powered by