Jalapeño Vanilla Piña Cocktail

You never know when inspiration may strike. I happened across a cocktail very similar to this one on someone's Insta Story a month or so ago and thought it sounded so good. The combination of juicy and fresh pineapple, tart lemon, sweet and aromatic vanilla, and the spicy kick from the jalapeño all rounded out with tequila sounded so interesting. And perfect for Cinco de Mayo!

The cocktail was called "Hot Lips". I did some googling and found it's one of the signature cocktails at a bar in New York: Death & Co. Their version is a little more complex, infusing tequila with jalapeños and a little boozy with the combo of both mezcal and tequila. I tested my recipe with mezcal first and honestly, the smoky flavor over-powered the delicate vanilla flavor so I scratched it and went with tequila and the result is pretty damn good. Also, it's worth noting that if you're not a tequila fan, this cocktail is equally delicious with vodka. I hope you give this cocktail a try and let me know if you do! What are you doing for Cinco de Mayo?

serves 1

1 1/2 oz tequila gold
1/2 oz jalapeño vanilla syrup (recipe below)
1 oz fresh pineapple juice* (see note below)
1/2 oz fresh lemon juice
lemon wheel, to garnish
course sea salt, for garnish

jalapeño vanilla syrup
1 c raw sugar
1 c water
1 medium jalapeno, washed and roughly chopped (seeds and all)
1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped and pod reserved

make the syrup
In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the sugar, water, jalapeño slices, and vanilla bean seeds and pod. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar. Shut off the heat as soon as it begins to boil and allow to cool completely. Strain out the jalapeño and vanilla bean pod and transfer to a jar. Store in fridge.

make the cocktail
In a cocktail shaker, combine the pineapple juice, tequila, lemon juice, syrup, and top with ice. Shake vigorously for about 10 seconds, until shaker is cold. Pour over ice into glass and garnish with lemon wheel.

*A note about pineapple juice: I highly recommend using fresh pineapple juice as the flavor will make all the difference in this cocktail. I tested this recipe first with 100% pineapple juice from a can from Trader Joe's and the flavor was lacking. I blitzed up a few pieces of fresh pineapple in the blender and used that instead and the drink was a million times more delicious and flavorful. So if you can't find fresh pineapple juice at the store, feel free to whiz a few pieces of pineapple up in the blender to make your own! So easy and so good!