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I recently had dinner at this wonderful new restaurant here in San Diego called Barrio Star. Serving up Mexican soul food, Barrio Star offers a limited, yet tasty lineup of fresh and healthy Mexican classics. My entree was spectacular, but I was really blown away by my pre-dinner margarita. I am planning on posting my interpretation of the margarita next week, but first, the base: Roasted Jalapeno Infused Tequila. Fresh strips of roasted jalapeno pepper are steeped in silver tequila to produce an infusion that is both fiery and vibrant. A drink this good needs to be handcrafted from the bottom up! Continue reading for the recipe.
Roasted Jalapeno Infused Tequila
Ingredients
- 3 jalapeno peppers
- 750 ml good quality silver tequila
Instructions
- Start by roasting the jalapenos. Turn your burner up to full blast. Spear one of the jalapenos with a long fork and hold it directly over the flame until the skin starts to bubble and blacken. Flip the jalapeno and blacken the other side. Do not let your jalapeno catch on fire! Once the jalapeno is completely roasted, set aside and repeat this process with the other two jalapenos. If you don’t have a gas stove, you can also roast jalapenos under the broiler.
- Let the roasted jalapenos cool a bit until you can handle them. Scrape off the blackened skin using the tip of a knife. Discard the skin. Cut off the stem end of the jalapeno and slice in half. Remove the ribs and seeds. Slice each piece into ½ inch wide strips.
- Place strips of roasted jalapeno into a large mason jar or other glass container. Add the silver tequila. Seal jar and steep for 1 to 3 days.*
- Strain the tequila into a clean jar or bottle. Discard the roasted jalapeno strips.
Notes
I’m Brandon: food explorer, recipe curator, cocktail shaker, dessert lover. Kitchen Konfidence is how I document my time spent in my favorite space, the kitchen. Did you make a recipe? Tag @brandiego on Instagram so I can see the how it went!
Magic of Spice says
I love infusions, and this is a great tutorial 🙂
Kim - Liv Life says
I’m learning so much about San Diego from you and I only live a few miles to the north. I’ve noted the restaurant, and when time allows will hopefully be able to visit. I have a group of friends who usually get together for an evening around the holidays and this just might be it. Tequila is my drink of choice, and while I love the addition of the jalapeños, I probably won’t make it to the 3 day point. Like the tasting every day part! 😉
Amy says
I love liquor infused with any type of hot pepper! This sounds amazing :)!
Foodtographer says
This works well with vodka also. Same thing…taste after 2 days depending on how potent your peppers are. Another batch may need more time and others maybe less. I need to try the tequila version. Loves Tequila!
Tiffany says
I’ve been wanting to check out Barrio Star for a while, that margarita sounds awesome!
Amanda @ bakingwithoutabox says
Great idea and gorgeous photos!
Brandon Matzek says
@Kim Well I hope you enjoy Barrio Star if you end up going. The food and drinks were really good! It was interesting taking a swig of tequila daily. I recently learned how to really “taste” alcohol rather than just taking a quick shot. If you roll your tongue and let the alcohol roll down the middle of your tongue, you will get the taste of the alcohol rather than the burn. Apparently when the alcohol hits the sides of your tongue, it burns. Surprisingly, I learned this little trick at a wine/alcohol tasting on MCRD (Marine Corps Recruit Depot)!!
Steven Stoddart says
out of curiosity, is there a reason you removed the seeds from the jalapenos whereas with your habanero infused vodka you left the seeds in?
Brandon @ Kitchen Konfidence says
With the Roasted Jalapeno Tequila, I wanted the flavor of the roasted jalapenos to be on the forefront rather than the heat from the ribs and seeds. With the Bacon Habanero Vodka, I was looking for major heat (given that it was destine for a bloody mary). You could certainly add the ribs and seeds to this infusion if you are looking for something spicier. Just make sure you taste daily to check the heat level.
David K says
Hi Brandon – question for your regarding infusing. I wanted to make a simple sryup and infuse it with jalapenos to make a cucumber jalapeno martini (I bought cucumber infused Vodka already). Is it necessary to cook the outside of the jalapeno before adding to the simple syrup or can you use raw jalapenos(after seeding them) and just add them to the simple syrup.
Can you add jalapenos to purchased bottles of simple syrup or is it necessary to make your own simple syrup and boil the jalapenos into the home made simple syrup?
Thank you!
Brandon Matzek says
Hi David, that sounds like a delicious idea. How you prepare your simple syrup depends on what type of flavor you are looking to add to your drink. If you want to add some smokiness, try fire roasting the jalapenos. If you want more of a green, grassy flavor, then leave them fresh. Jalapenos sans seeds and ribs are fairly mild, so if you are looking for heat, I would recommend keeping some of the seeds in.
The jalapenos will need some time to steep in order to infuse their flavor into the syrup. This means that you will need to warm the jalapenos up in the syrup and then let them sit for a little while. I wouldn’t recommend purchasing premade bottles of simple syrup. To make a jalapeno simple syrup, combine equal parts sugar and water in a small saucepan with your jalapeno. Warm over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Bring to a boil, bubble for a minute then cut the heat. Let the mixture rest for 10 – 20 minutes. Strain out the jalapeno once you have reached the desired flavor.
Good luck and cheers!
Brandon
PS. Another way you could get jalapeno flavor into the drink would be to muddle the jalapenos with ice before adding your liquids. This is a good way to add the flavor without affecting the sweetness of your drink.
Erin says
I must admit on the first sip I wasn’t sure how I felt about it but I kept coming back for more. Overall…delicious. Very complex with a mildly spicy burn going down but with a sweet, tart finish. I let mine steep overnight and it was the perfect heat for me. Thanks for a great idea.
Brandon Matzek says
So glad you like the infusion Erin! Now try this in a margarita 🙂