Hab Vodka
- Thread starter JeepZeke
- Start date
I copied this from another forum. The recipe is for Scotch Bonnets which are slightly milder than Habs.
1.
Take around 6-8 ripe Scotch Bonnet peppers, and pull off their stalks and bracts, discarding them.
2.
Gently tear the fruits apart, removing (and saving) the seeds. Don't cut them with a knife, this wastes valuable flavour.
3.
Open a fresh bottle of export-strength (100 UK proof, 57% vol) vodka, and pour a small amount into a glass to make space in the bottle.
4.
Push the de-seeded husks through the neck of the bottle and into the remaining vodka.
5.
Once the peppers are safely submerged, refill the bottle from the glass that you put aside earlier, leaving about 2cm of air in the neck of the bottle, and then cap it tightly.
6.
Place the bottle untouched in a cool dark cupboard.
7.
Leave the bottle for at least six weeks, by which time the liquor will have taken on a warm golden colour, and the pepper husks will have become pale.
8.
Chill the bottle thoroughly, then open it.
1.
Take around 6-8 ripe Scotch Bonnet peppers, and pull off their stalks and bracts, discarding them.
2.
Gently tear the fruits apart, removing (and saving) the seeds. Don't cut them with a knife, this wastes valuable flavour.
3.
Open a fresh bottle of export-strength (100 UK proof, 57% vol) vodka, and pour a small amount into a glass to make space in the bottle.
4.
Push the de-seeded husks through the neck of the bottle and into the remaining vodka.
5.
Once the peppers are safely submerged, refill the bottle from the glass that you put aside earlier, leaving about 2cm of air in the neck of the bottle, and then cap it tightly.
6.
Place the bottle untouched in a cool dark cupboard.
7.
Leave the bottle for at least six weeks, by which time the liquor will have taken on a warm golden colour, and the pepper husks will have become pale.
8.
Chill the bottle thoroughly, then open it.
There's a bit of an eaiser way to do it, which I have been doing for a few years now. Fill 3-4 teabags (you can use double-layer cheesecloth as well) with straight habanero powder (somewhat coarsely ground, so it won't flow out of the teabag), take the cap off the bottle and put the bag(s) in the vodka. Place the bottle in a dark cool area (back of a closet) for about 3 days. Remove bag and enjoy. Works like a charm.
I'll try this. Sounds like a good idea for a martini. I'm going to have to make some.
Copy and pasted from my article on the subject:
"My desire for finding a really good bar that serves me nothing but the finest beers has taken me to many places. Since I moved back to Cleveland, Ohio, I was forced to locate a new place to call home and thus I discovered La Cave Du Vin (located at 2785 Euclid Heights Blvd., Lower Level, Cleveland, Ohio 44106 (phone# 216-932-6411).
Turns out a lot of the bar tenders there are chili-heads so I brought in a Naga Morich (aka, Bhut Jolokia) for them to try. Turns out they only split it in half and divided up that amongst themselves. The owner, Erich, decided that he liked it so much that he stuck the rest in a bottle of Finlandia Vodka to infuse. Once I learned this (which was the next day….I go there a lot) I gave him a second Naga to beef it up a bit more.
So, why that particular brand of Vodka you might ask? You also might ask why “Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo.” is a grammatically correct sentence but in the interest of time I’ll answer the first. Erich did his homework on this and discovered which vodkas are best for infusion and Finlandia was one of the best for that. Plus it’s a pretty good vodka to begin with.
So, there it sat on the shelf, a beautiful bottle with two equally beautiful peppers in it, imparting their taste and fire for the greater good. A little over a week and a half later and the peppers were removed. The time had come for a tasting!
What was once a clear, colorless bottle had now turned a small hint of red but otherwise it looks like your typical vodka. Looks, however, can be deceiving. Once ingested this has an instant back of the throat burn that then engulfs your whole mouth. It’s an interesting burn too because it has the usual tongue numbing effects of the Naga but is also “prickly” in its pain. What is also unavoidable is the minor lip burn.
There’s definitely a slight fruity taste from the pepper but is mainly overwhelmed by the vodka which is very crisp and clean. This is not for your non-chili-head friends but it would be fun to see their reaction if you bought them a shot (single shot is $6). Since I originally wrote this review about 2 weeks I’ve had a chance to see how this is actually an evolving entity. Each week it sits there, the hotter it gets even though the peppers have been removed. I was able to do another tasting last week and it is starting to have a larger upfront kick in addition to the back of the throat burn.
So, if you are in the area be sure to stop down and ask for a shot or a mixed drink. It goes great in a Bloody Mary or a White Russian (or would that be a Red Russian at this point). But you better act quickly because this stuff is going fast! Oh and if Vodka doesn’t strike your fancy, I hear that Erich is using the other two Naga’s I gave him for a bottle of Patron Silver Tequila. Not sure when that will be ready, but you can definitely expect a report here when that’s ready.
Taste: 9.7, Heat: 9.1 and climbing"
Turns out I am now their source for Bhut Jolokia and it has officially turned into a regular drink they offer.
"My desire for finding a really good bar that serves me nothing but the finest beers has taken me to many places. Since I moved back to Cleveland, Ohio, I was forced to locate a new place to call home and thus I discovered La Cave Du Vin (located at 2785 Euclid Heights Blvd., Lower Level, Cleveland, Ohio 44106 (phone# 216-932-6411).
Turns out a lot of the bar tenders there are chili-heads so I brought in a Naga Morich (aka, Bhut Jolokia) for them to try. Turns out they only split it in half and divided up that amongst themselves. The owner, Erich, decided that he liked it so much that he stuck the rest in a bottle of Finlandia Vodka to infuse. Once I learned this (which was the next day….I go there a lot) I gave him a second Naga to beef it up a bit more.
So, why that particular brand of Vodka you might ask? You also might ask why “Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo.” is a grammatically correct sentence but in the interest of time I’ll answer the first. Erich did his homework on this and discovered which vodkas are best for infusion and Finlandia was one of the best for that. Plus it’s a pretty good vodka to begin with.
So, there it sat on the shelf, a beautiful bottle with two equally beautiful peppers in it, imparting their taste and fire for the greater good. A little over a week and a half later and the peppers were removed. The time had come for a tasting!
What was once a clear, colorless bottle had now turned a small hint of red but otherwise it looks like your typical vodka. Looks, however, can be deceiving. Once ingested this has an instant back of the throat burn that then engulfs your whole mouth. It’s an interesting burn too because it has the usual tongue numbing effects of the Naga but is also “prickly” in its pain. What is also unavoidable is the minor lip burn.
There’s definitely a slight fruity taste from the pepper but is mainly overwhelmed by the vodka which is very crisp and clean. This is not for your non-chili-head friends but it would be fun to see their reaction if you bought them a shot (single shot is $6). Since I originally wrote this review about 2 weeks I’ve had a chance to see how this is actually an evolving entity. Each week it sits there, the hotter it gets even though the peppers have been removed. I was able to do another tasting last week and it is starting to have a larger upfront kick in addition to the back of the throat burn.
So, if you are in the area be sure to stop down and ask for a shot or a mixed drink. It goes great in a Bloody Mary or a White Russian (or would that be a Red Russian at this point). But you better act quickly because this stuff is going fast! Oh and if Vodka doesn’t strike your fancy, I hear that Erich is using the other two Naga’s I gave him for a bottle of Patron Silver Tequila. Not sure when that will be ready, but you can definitely expect a report here when that’s ready.
Taste: 9.7, Heat: 9.1 and climbing"
Turns out I am now their source for Bhut Jolokia and it has officially turned into a regular drink they offer.