The Key Mistake To Avoid When Making Spicy Cocktail Syrups

Whether it's for the signature bite in your spicy tomatini or the necessary piquancy to elevate your mocktails at home, the easiest way to make a cocktail spicy is to use a spicy cocktail syrup — that much is easy to understand. Only, the syrup itself isn't as much of an effortless pursuit. Made from one part syrup, one part water, all slowly boiled and dissolved along with any added spices or herbs you like, you might think there's not much that can go wrong — and you'd be right. But, according to Molly Horn, the Chief Mixologist and Spirits Educator at Total Wine & More, there is one key mistake to avoid when making spicy cocktail syrups in particular: not weighing your risks.

As Horn told Tasting Table, certain spicy ingredients are riskier than others, but she names a couple in particular. "Produce such as ginger and jalapeños are riskier when it comes to overcooking as you can blanch out the spice, so be much more careful with those," she said. Considering that all syrups call for a low and slow approach, it's hard to imagine the possibility of burning your ingredients to that degree — but it's definitely possible. As Horn pointed out, produce can be particularly prone to losing its spice, and it can happen with any hot chili or pepper you so choose. You'll want to keep an eye on the heat when you're using them in your cocktail syrups to preserve the heat within them.

Considering Molly Horn's tip is to be cautious when using fresh produce in your spicy cocktail syrups, the natural suggestion is to opt for dried ingredients instead. For instance, you could add dried cayenne powder — or any other pepper powder — as well as dried ginger to your sugar to your basic simple syrup to create a spicy cocktail syrup without worrying about burning. A teaspoon of any of the aforementioned dried ingredients should do, and after being boiled and strained, you'll find it will work just the same in your spicy cocktail recipes.

If you prefer the idea of using fresh hot peppers in your spicy cocktails syrups, that's understandable. Just try to keep an eye on them as your syrup is going to make sure that their flavors don't end up getting blanched out — adding more or less of the peppers and seeds to adjust the heat level to your preference (and remembering to keep your hands far away from your eyes). You can also add in other ingredients to compliment the spice, such as honey or lime with jalapeños, cardamom and cinnamon with cayennes, or lemon juice with ginger.

When working with fresh produce in your spicy cocktails syrups, Horn offered another tip. Aside from being careful not to blanch them, Horn also recommended you "puree into your syrup before straining for best results." Keep in mind it's also best to let the syrup cool completely first.