My friend Richard Sterling developed this recipe, which is his version of how the Spaniards transformed Montezuma’s favorite spicy beverage with the addition of alcohol. He commented: “Salud! Drink to the Old World and the New.”
Another Chile-Flavored Vodka
When I write “flavored,” I mean it, as I have chosen the chiles that
impart the most distinct flavors. The raisiny flavor of the pasilla
melds with the apricot overtones of the habanero and the earthiness of
the New Mexican chile to create a finely-tuned fiery sipping vodka. Of
course, use an excellent vodka like Stolichnaya or Absolut. Note: This
recipe requires advance preparation.
Ingredients
1 liter vodka
1 pasilla chile, seeds and stems removed, cut into thin strips
1/2 dried red New Mexican chile pod, seeds and stems removed, cut in fourths
1/4 habanero chile, seeds and stems removed, left whole
Instructions
Open the bottle of vodka and drink some of it to make room in the
bottle. Add the chiles and recap. Let sit for at least 3 days to
generate some heat, and the vodka will get progressively hotter over the
weeks. As you drink the vodka, replace it with more fresh vodka, and the
process will go on for some time.
Tequila Enchilado (Chilied Tequila)
This recipe is a variation on spiced vodkas but with Mexican spices. It can be used in any drink recipe requiring tequila, or downed straight. Note: This recipe requires advance preparation.
Jamaican Jerk Hog Wings
A Recipe From:
America’s Best BBQ:
100 Recipes from America’s Best Smokehouses, Pits, Shacks, Rib Joints, Roadhouses, and Restaurants
by Ardie A. Davis and Chef Paul Kirk
This recipe and other can be found in the Book Excerpt: America’s Best BBQ
Ingredients
Marinade
1/3 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup dark rum
3 tablespoons firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 bunch scallions, both white and green parts, roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 habanero or Scotch bonnet chile, stemmed, seeded, and minced, or 2 chiles if you want it hotter
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
4 pork shanks
Fresh Fruit Salsa
1 cup diced watermelon
1 cup diced orange
1 cup diced pineapple
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves, or more to taste
1/4 cup diced red onion
1/4 cup diced red pepper
1/4 cup light rum, or more to taste
2 tablespoons lime juice
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 cup dark rum
Instructions
Put all the marinade ingredients in a food processor and puree to make slightly chunky sauce. Rub the jerk paste all over the pork shanks, cover, and refrigerate 2 to 24 hours.
To make the fresh fruit salsa, combine all of the salsa ingredients in a medium bowl and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for 45 minutes to 1 hour before serving.
To prepare the wings, you can sauté or use the broiler. To sauté, heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over high heat until very hot. Place the shanks in the oil, always at a safe distance to avoid burns. Cook for 4 minutes in each side, or until the shanks lift from the pan without sticking and have reached an internal temperature of 150 degrees F. on an instant-read thermometer, 3 to 5 minutes. Deglaze the pan by adding the dark rum to the pan and stirring in in with the drippings. Pour the sauce over the shanks and serve.
To broil, place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or aluminum foil and broil until well browned on all sides, 3 to 5 minutes. Drizzle with a little rum and serve.
Chiltepín Pepper Vodka
The Russians are the true inventors of pepper vodka and they flavor
their vodka most commonly with cayenne. Any type of small fresh or dried
chile pepper that will fit in the bottle will work. Be sure to taste it
often and remove the chiles when it reaches the desired heat--the longer
the chiles are left in, the hotter the vodka will get! Serving
Suggestions: Serve over ice or in tomato juice for an “instant” bloody
mary. Note: This recipe requires advance preparation.
Ingredients
4 to 6 dried chiltepín or piquín chiles, left whole
1 liter vodka
Instructions
Place the chiles in the vodka and let them steep for a week or more.
Periodically taste the vodka and remove the chiles when it is hot enough.