September 1, 2010 (Day 214) — Mexican Chocolate
I just finished infusing some black pepper vodka at home, which means it’s time to crack it open, filter it and make something special. My first thought was something spicy and savory, but then I had (very) rare stroke of genius. One of the great things about Mexican chocolate is that if has lots of spices, and sometimes even peppers, mixed in during it’s production. It creates an amazing balance between sweet and spicy. My goal with this drink was to emulate as closely as possible the joys of Mexican Chocolate in cocktail form.
For those who are wondering, the recipe for my black pepper vodka is as follows:
1 cup regular vodka (Boru is great for infusing)
1/6 cup whole peppercorns
1/6 cup cracked peppercorns
Pour your vodka into a clean, sanitary bottle, then pour your peppercorns. Shake thoroughly, then place in your pantry, or a cool dark place. Leave for three to four days, shaking at least once a day. Double strain (or triple strain if you’re paranoid like me) into another clean, sanitized bottle.
Simple, no? Just be warned, this is a very POWERFUL black pepper vodka, as most recipes call for three tablespoons or so. I really liked this. Very powerful and very spicy. Not for the faint of heart! So, naturally, I like it.
Mexican Chocolate
2 oz black pepper vodka
2 oz creme de cacao
1.5 oz Bailey’s Irish Cream
1 oz heavy cream
Pour your vodka, liqueur and cream into a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake thoroughly until well mixed. Make sure you do this fast, so the cream doesn’t congeal and make funky-ass cream globs. They can really ruin a drink.
Strain into a chilled cocktail glass filled with ice. Garnish with a dash of chili powder and serve. You’ll want to make sure this on the rocks.
This odd, but delicious. It has a very distinct peppery flavor up front, followed up by the sweetness of the liqueurs. Jenn cocked her eyebrow and looked down at it when I made it for her.
“It’s… interesting. It’s like those chocolate bars with pepper in them.”
Exactly.
(Extra note: Make sure you drink this while it’s incredibly cold. As it warms up, that pepper vodka starts to take over the drink and overwhelm everything else.)
Cheers!
— Mark
Cocktails, 365 
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