Spicy Chili Vodka Recipe

SpiceJungle carries a large variety of dried chili peppers. Everything from Scorpion chilies to Ghost Peppers. Chiles range in levels of heat, flavor, and intensity. Each chile pepper is ranked on a scale of heat intensity called a Scoville unit, developed in 1912 by Wilbur Scoville. Each chile is ranked in multiples of 100 units with the sweet red pepper ranked at zero Scoville units while the Ghost chile pepper is ranked at 1,000,000 Scoville units.

Each chili pepper has a distinct flavor and specific Scoville unit that can vary drastically. For this spicy chili vodka recipe, we chose a mixture of Tepin, Birdseye, and Japones chiles to create a unique flavor combination.

The Chiltepin, or Tepin pepper grows wild in Mexico, Texas, Arizona and New Mexico. The aroma of the chile is very distinct and the heat is said to be between 40,000-50,000 Scoville units. Although spicy, the heat does not build and disappears quickly.

The Birdseye Chile is a relatively small pepper measuring at only 1 1/2-2 inches long and about 1/4" in diameter. When ripe, the chile turns a bright red and is available fresh year round. The heat intensifies when the chile is dried. Once dried, the chile usually curls slightly at the tip, which is why it is often referred to as the Bird's chile. The Scoville unit of the Birdseye chile is 100,000–225,000.

The Japones chile is extremely popular in Asian cooking but is native to Mexico. This spicy chili is used in primarily Szechuan cooking as it imparts a nice heat and a bold flavor to the dishes. Drying these chiles intensifies the flavor making them perfect for infused oils. The Scoville unit of this chili pepper is 15,000-30,000.

The combination of these three chilies makes for a very flavorful and spicy infused vodka — perfect for a delicious and spicy bloody mary!