Fire Water

Once upon a time I dared someone to take a shot of this made with habañero peppers, I am a bad person.

the capsaicin found in peppers gives them the burn and are measured in scoville units, Capsaicin is also soluble in alcohol. What this gives us is a great way to make liquid burn ( metaphorically of course) I no longer make this with habeñeros simply because I do not have access to them where I live, ironically enough in the country of Chile. Go figure. I will be using something similar to a banana/ anaheim pepper.

What you will need:

• Peppers of your choice
• Alcohol of your choice ( I´m using vodka)
• A disposable plastic bag
• gloves ( depending on how hot the peppers are and what you want to do with your hands later)
• empty bottle to store the finished product in
• a knife

Cut up the peppers so the alcohol can get into the nooks and crannies inside. I cut the peppers in half since I was doing a stuffed pepper recipe on the grill later. Put the peppers in a plastic bag, a disposable container might be bad for the environment but washing a reusable container is not a guarantee that you will remove the heat. if you don't believe me don´t wear gloves while cutting and handling the peppers, just wash your hands. then pick your nose or rub your eyes. I dare you. Add the vodka to the bag and make sure to get most of the air out and wait. I haven't noticed a huge difference in strength depending on wait time, I figure it needs some time but I´m not sure how much. I give it about a half hour.

After however long you let the peppers bathe in the alcohol you need to separate the liquid from the solids. I have a small strainer that makes sure the seeds don´t make it into the finished product. A funnel is useful as well so you don´t make a mess. make sure to wear gloves here too.

After you have the fire water bottled you can use it for many things.

1. Drink it, the peppers I am using are just hot enough that you can drink it without pain and they have the flavor profile of the pepper as well, not just the heat. it is a nice sipping drink.
2. Cook with it, you can add heat and the pepper flavor to anything without adding solids. This is what I used the habeñero version for.
3. Cocktails- a martini with fire water and cilantro is good, any other suggestions are welcome.

• If you think it is too spicy you can always dilute it with more alcohol.
• Give fair warning to anyone before they drink it. Some people don't actually like heat.