Just wanted to share this weekend's bit of cocktail experimentation. My husband said he was having a hankering for a clear, lemony drink, served straight up. If I cared all that much about vodka (that's another conversation, and do have a few faves, which weren't on hand), I'd have just shaken up a quick Lemon Drop but well -- we had Pisco (a Peruvian brandy) in the house, and I opted to play with that.
Now, a proper Pisco Sour calls for eggs, and we were fresh out, and as it happens, we had to save the lemons for that evening's rib grilling. Pisco & lime seemed like a natural fit, and orange curacao was the logical sweet counter-balance, but it was still missing something. I peeked in the cupboard for inspiration, and found it pretty quickly -- smoked salt and a small pinch of cayenne pepper. The result was a cocktail that's simultaneously sweet, sour, salty, smoky and spicy, and dangerously drinkable. Sometimes it pays to think kitchen when you're behind the bar.
Pisco Pepper
1oz freshly-squeezed lime juice
1oz orange curacao
2 oz Pisco
Pinch of smoked salt*
Pinch of powdered cayenne pepper
Shake vigorously over ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
*Wanna know where to get smoked salt? Sure, you can buy it in a grocery store, but it's much more fun to make your own.
Get Grilling!
1. Oh and on hot afternoon by the pool. I freeze Mike's Light Hard Lemonade. And scoop it up like an adult slurpee. lol. But I make sure to drink plenty of water...
Gina at 2:24PM on Sep 25th 2007