Mixing it!
This chilli doesn't come with with rice (unless it's the sushi)
Dateline: 22:00, Saturday, November 5th, 2005 - satellite town, middle England.
I'm not a cocktail person. I'm very much a beer and whisk(e)y man. (Or gin. Or brandy.) But we like chilli. Chilli is good. Not just good, but good. (The emphasis here is all important. Dónal knows all about emphasis. He's also that rare animal - an Irishman who doesn't drink, so his appearance in an article concerning cocktails is hardly aposite. He's also a computer bod who doesn't drink coffee. That's just downright weird. But he does know about emphasis.) Anyhow, chilli is good. So when a cocktail requires it it as an ingredient, it can't be altogether bad. It has to be tried when you're stuck in a cocktail bar and floundering for something to drink. So I tried one. And I continued trying them. After all, it would be irresponsible not to be sure. They were good. That was some months ago, at Henry Africa's in Bristol.
Come this weekend and a combined wedding anniversary/fireworks/cocktail party (and no, I'm not about to explain the conjunction) and it seems reasonable - nay, obligatory - to re-visit the experience. Only one problem - we know the constituents, but not the formula. Time to experiment. Hey ho, it's a hard life, drinking in the name of progress.
What follows is the recipe for the perfect Voodoo Chile (no doubt named by some wag after the Jimi Hendrix song of the same name), garnered from extensive sacrifice in the name of research. Actually I lie - it only took two attempts to get it dead on, but hey - there's no harm in milking the joke.
The Cocktail
Pre-requisites
- Bourbon whisky (Jack Daniels is the norm, although I reckon Jim Beam to be better).
- Triple Sec
- Ginger beer
- Angostura bitters
- Tabasco (hot)
- Cocktail shaker
- Crushed ice
- A glass (originally served in a martini glass, but we don't stand on ceremony here)
Shake, rattle and pour
- Chill the glass with adequate crushed ice - do this first so it chills whilst mixing
- Place one measure bourbon, half a measure of triple sec, and three or four drops of bitters in the shaker.
- Add Tabasco according to preference, but even if your taste is stronger three drops is the limit, otherwise it will simply smother everything else.
- Add crushed ice, close and shake
- Open, add a generous double measure of ginger beer.
- Empty the glass, and strain the drink into it.
Voilá! The Voodoo Chile awaits you... Enjoy.
