spicy margaritas and figgy whiskey
or: recipes for pineapple-habanero syrup and spiced fig syrup
It’s been a minute since I beamed an actual recipe into everyone’s inboxes, so this week, I decided to send two — both for cocktail syrups.
For me, for whatever reason, this has been a summer of wine. But now that it’s winding down — and now that I’ve emerged from several weeks of self-imposed sobriety — all I want are cocktails. So I had a little fun this week with fruit and came up with two cocktail syrups that, in my slightly tipsy opinion, are perfect for the transition from summer to fall.
pineapple-habanero syrup
serves: many
prep time: 5 minutes
cook time: 45 minutes
what you need: a grill, cheesecloth, a blender or food processor
Start with about 1 pound of cored and cubed pineapple. How you get there is your choice; you can buy a fruit and chop it yourself or get your pineapple pre-chopped. There’s no judgment in cocktail syrups.
Preheat your grill, and once it’s reached about 400°F, lay the pineapple cubes on it. Let them cook for 5-6 minutes, until they’re starting to brown. Begin flipping them in order to brown as many sides of each piece as possible. The fruit doesn’t need to be totally charred; it just needs to have clear grill lines and to have begun to caramelize. The whole pineapple-grilling process should take about 15 minutes.
Once your fruit is properly cooked, head back inside — unless you have an electric range. (If you have an electric range, you’ll want to also grill your habaneros alongside the pineapple.) Turn on your gas burner, and set 2 habanero peppers on top of it. Let them char for about 5 minutes, turning them periodically, until their skin is about 80 percent blackened. When they’re ready, place them in a bowl covered with plastic wrap for 10 minutes.
While they sweat, put your grilled pineapple in a blender or food processor, and puree it until it’s smooth.
Remove the skin from the habaneros; it should come off easily; sometimes I like to do it under running water, which speeds the process. Remove the stems, halve the peppers, and remove the ribs and seeds. Add one of the peppers to the blender or food processor and puree until it’s fully incorporated. Taste your puree and see what you think about the spice level. (Habaneros pack a punch, so one may very well be enough.) The goal at this point is for your puree to be about 10 percent spicier than you want it to be; the flavor will get toned down as the syrup cooks.
Once you’ve added as much habanero as you’d like, pour your puree into a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Add ¾ of a cup of water and ½ of a cup of granulated sugar. Stir to combine, and bring the mixture to a boil. Immediately reduce the heat to low and allow the mixture to simmer for 10-15 minutes, cooking down slightly.
Let the mixture cool, and strain it through a cheesecloth into a jar, squeezing to extract as much liquid as you can. You should have a bit more than a cup when all is said and done.
The syrup will keep in the fridge for several weeks. Add about a teaspoon to a margarita or the tequila- or mezcal-based drink of your choice.
spiced fig syrup
adapted using methods from The Cocktail Codex
serves: many
prep time: 10 minutes
cook time: 2 hours
what you need: a blender, a sous vide
Program your sous vide to 135°F, and let the water begin to heat.
Meanwhile, remove the stems from your figs and quarter them. You will need 7 ounces of quartered figs, which is the yield of approximately 10 to 15 figs, depending on how big yours are.
Place 200 grams of granulated sugar into your blender. Pour 200 milliliters of hot water into the blender, and mix the sugar and water for about 15 seconds, until the sugar is fully dissolved.
Pour the sugar-water mixture into a plastic or silicone bag. Add the figs, and use your hands on the outside of the bag to incorporate them into the sugar-water. Add a 1-inch sprig of fresh rosemary and a rounded ¼ of a teaspoon of pink peppercorns to the bag. Again, squish the bag around to incorporate everything.
Once the water is at temperature, press as much air out of the bag as you can and lower it into the pot, clipping the top of the bag to the lip of the pot. Let the mixture cook for 2 hours.
At the two hour mark, remove the bag from the water bath and drop it into a large bowl of ice water. Leave it in the ice water for about a minute, then remove it and pour the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer once or twice. Pour the strained liquid into a jar or squeeze bottle, and use about half a teaspoon in an old fashioned — or a bourbon or whiskey cocktail of your choosing. I made one using 2 ounces of whiskey, half an ounce of Amaro Ciociaro and orange bitters, which paired great with the herby fig flavor.
The syrup will keep in the fridge for about a week. It also freezes well.
These recipes sound delicious, fast and fun!