Skip to main content

Jalapeno & Blood Orange Whiskey Cocktail

I don’t have a name for this drink. I like names. I love this cocktail. So you can see what type of conundrum this has created in my life. I’ve even gone against suit and made this three times since it’s invention two weeks ago. 

If you have a creative, fun name for this cocktail, let me have it. I’ll give you full credit and I will finally be able to refer to this properly when I make it for guest.

Update: This drink now has a name: Hot Blooded

I’ve also learned a few things about drink making with peppers, something I am completely and whole heartedly in love with. Spicy drinks have even lured me away from my one try love of the drink world: Craft Beer. While beer will still hold the number one rank in my drinking life, spicy cocktails have snuck into a close second spot. But there are rules when concocting libations from such unpredictable ingredients. Here are some rules to keep in mind:

1. Most of the heat from pepper are in the seeds. The more seeds you leave in, the hotter it will become. Exponentially.

2. When peppers sit in alcohol it only takes seconds for the heat level to go from hot to way too hot. It happens faster than you would expect.

3. No two peppers are the same and there is no way to predict how hot the ones you have chosen will be. 

4. Alcohol intensifies heat. I learned this when writing an article about How To Pair Food & Wine, high alcohol beverages increase the heat level in food. The same rule applies to making cocktails with peppers. 

5. Sugar mellows heat. Adding more sugar can lower the heat level a bit.

6. Use gloves. For the LOVE. You only have to forget once, and then try to take your contacts out a few hours later to NEVER do that again. If you do forget, the best way to remove the peppers evilness from your fingers is to rub copious amounts of olive oil into your hands for about 5 minutes, and then wash the olive oil off with very warm water and dish soap. 

Hot Blooded:

Jalapeno, Blood Orange & Whiskey

(Named by Seth)

1 cup fresh squeezed blood orange juice

2 tbs Agave

1/2 cup whiskey

1 medium sized jalapeno, chopped, stem removed (about 2 tbs)

In a cocktail shaker, add the blood orange juice, agave and whiskey, stir until combined. Add the jalapenos, replace the shaker cap and shake three times, immediately pour through a strainer into highball glasses filled with ice, straining out the jalapenos. Discard the jalapenos. 

*I made this cocktail three times. The first time I made it with hand squeezed blood oranges, by far the best choice. Knowing that blood orange season is on it’s last legs, I wanted an alternative. I made it with regular orange juice and it just wasn’t as good. I also made it with Tropicana Trop50 Red Orange, while not as good as hand squeezed blood oranges,it was much better than regular orange juice, a fine substitute. And you can buy it in most grocery stores.  

Update: I think we have a name. I had so much suggestions sent to me via email, Facebook, twitter and comments, but the one I can’t get out of my head is: Hot Blooded. Thanks in no small part to Foreigner. I also LOVED the idea of a TrueBlood name, since I am shamelessly addicted to that show, Bon Temp Sunrise?? Maybe not. Thank you to Seth for the new name! I can now get some rest. 

Pin this post!

Follow me on twitter

Follow me on Pinterest

Like Domestic Fits on Facebook


Related Posts

Similar Articles


Comments


carey April 6, 2012 um 6:33 am

This sounds amazing! I’ve been wanting to experiment with using spicy peppers in homemade sodas, and this is fantastic inspiration.

Oh, also: I’ve thought that some of the darkest and yummiest blood oranges I’ve come across have had what tastes like a hint of berry tartness to them. This post made me curious about that, so I did a little research and apparently I’m not crazy! The Moro variety of blood orange is said to have a slight raspberry flavor to it. So you might be able to achieve a similar flavor with freshly-juiced oranges and muddled raspberries.

Reply

Jackie April 6, 2012 um 5:42 pm

Yes! Orange and muddle raspberries does sound like a perfect substitute. I love that. a LOT.

Reply

Nathan April 9, 2014 um 4:24 pm

How about the name..

Miss Scarlett?

Reply

Erin @ Dinners, Dishes, and Desserts April 6, 2012 um 2:24 pm

Sorry, no name help here, I am just not creative with that kind of thing. But it looks delicious. Love the spicy with the oranges! Great color.

Reply

sippitysup April 6, 2012 um 4:30 pm

Sugar mellows heat… that makes sense. Gorgeous tipple here! GREG

Reply

Sara April 6, 2012 um 8:04 pm

pimienta verter! The Pepper Pour 🙂

Reply

Jehra April 6, 2012 um 8:22 pm

Drink sounds great. How about Burning Daylight as a name?

Reply

Liz April 7, 2012 um 3:42 am

What a gorgeous drink, Jackie!!! I made the mistake of taking out my contacts after working with jalapeños (and washing my hands!. OUCH!

Reply

virginia bloom April 7, 2012 um 6:04 am

This is one of the cocktails i’ve ever seen.

Reply

Danguole April 7, 2012 um 10:47 am

I love everything about this!

I still periodically make the contacts-peppers mistake. Some people never learn, haha.

Reply

Michelle DuPuis April 7, 2012 um 7:10 pm

I could go for one of these right now! Sounds delicious.

Reply

Seth April 7, 2012 um 11:19 pm

Loved this. Combined 3 of my favorite things. I think the name that is going to stick around my house is, "Hot Blooded," or, "Blood and Glory."

Reply

Leah April 8, 2012 um 4:13 pm

OK…I’ve been a bartender in my past life, and this totally intrigues me! I have to make it – at least once.

If I may suggest a name appropos to the recipe (and the hints)…I think I’d call it an "Orange Inferno".

Reply

KatyS April 8, 2012 um 9:53 pm

Sounds like a much tastier way to have "Dragon’s Breath." Or maybe with the blood orange theme, TrueBlood.

Reply

Baker Street April 9, 2012 um 8:23 am

Slurrrrrp! That’s my kinda drink. I’d love a glass or two.

Reply

Jose Cantra April 9, 2012 um 7:02 pm

Jalapeno & Blood Orange Whiskey Cocktail?? Yes!

Reply

[email protected] April 11, 2012 um 8:44 am

This looks amazing! I want a virgin version of this cocktail!

Reply

Julie at Burnt Carrots April 11, 2012 um 2:20 pm

I could go for one of these right now!! I love your tips on the peppers and 100% gloves. I wear contacts and have burned the living daylights out of my eyes unknowingly when trying to take them out at night. I’m even tempted to wear gloves in the grocery store when touching them!

Reply

Devan May 1, 2012 um 10:09 am

Sounds amazing, can’t wait to try it. I love that you measure the whiskey by the cup…I would just go with filling the glass halfway- that’s a half cup, right?

Reply

Jackie May 1, 2012 um 11:27 am

It depends on the cup you use, but it sounds like a lot!
1/2 cup is 4 ounces so each serving gets about 2 ounces of whiskey, but you are free to use as much as you want!

Reply

Olivia May 16, 2012 um 9:01 pm

Hello I love everything about this cocktail and am so glad to see it got a name, upon first reading it I couldn’t think of a good one. But Hot Blooded is perfect, I’m jealous I didn’t think of it.
But I have a question what whiskey do you use? and are there some you wouldn’t recommend? I am making it as a theme cocktail for my boyfriend’s birthday, he Loves spicy cocktails! We are doing a BBQ for his party in lovely weather (hopefully). Also what do you think of just making it one drink at a time and pouring into a pitcher to then later pour onto ice?
Thank YOU for sharing!
Cheers!

Reply

Jackie May 16, 2012 um 9:16 pm

I used buffalo trace, I love it. It’s a whiskey but has a touch of bourbon sweetness to it 🙂

Reply

» 23 Awesome Drink Recipes & Keep Your Glassware in Mint Condition BrightNest Blog May 18, 2012 um 2:27 pm

[…] Photo: Domestic Fits […]

Reply

Matthew C. Kriner May 19, 2012 um 1:13 pm

Thank you so much for the great cocktail. Just love it!

Reply

Web’s Best Whiskey Drinks | Cool Material June 12, 2012 um 10:51 am

[…] Besides sounding like the most badass fruit, blood oranges are freakin’ delicious! Here they get paired up with a bit of heat (an underappreciated drink addition) to give your concoction a ton of flavor. (Recipe) […]

Reply

Ryan G June 12, 2012 um 10:24 pm

call it a Bloody Hell.

Reply

WES June 13, 2012 um 10:53 am

I just stumbled across this, and it made me think of something you may like:

Every year my friend and I have a True Blood premiere party. Last year we invented sex. It’s one part True Blood Blood Orange soda (you can usually find it at comic shops) and one part Reposado Tequila. We called it the Tequila Sunset!

It’ll get you snockered, perfect for playing "drinks with Lafayette" (we’re a little obsessed).
You can dial down the sweetness with some lime juice in place of the soda, if you so please (after the first one, I highly recommend it).

Reply

The Cocktail Party: In Motion « redvelvetandwhiskey September 24, 2012 um 5:06 pm

[…] “Hot-Blooded”                                         Orange and Rosemary Baked Olives […]

Reply

Best Winter Whisky Drinks | Bro My God | Probably the most Bro site out there. Hot Chicks, Booze, Cars, and Anything Funny December 6, 2012 um 12:01 am

[…] HOT BLOODED […]

Reply

Queen Jeanne January 20, 2013 um 8:44 am

This sounds so delicious. Just bought some blood oranges. So happy when they come into season. Can’t wait until cocktail time.

Reply

Bleeding Mimosa: Champagne and Blood Orange Ice Cubes January 30, 2013 um 6:02 pm

[…] year I gave you the Hot Blooded cocktail last year during my fling with blood oranges, and this year I wanted to do an entire week. I got a […]

Reply

A Happy Valentine’s Day According to TSP | The Skinny Pig February 14, 2013 um 6:49 am

[…]  3. A Badass Whiskey Cocktail: It’s still red from blood oranges, so it’s perfect for V-Day. I like to think of blood oranges as a badass, sexy fruit. This drink also has jalapeno in it, which is also badass. I happen to like spicy drinks, but that’s not for everyone, nor was this post so…whatever. Recipe here. […]

Reply

Stoney bologna February 20, 2013 um 10:04 pm

Wow this drink is AWESOME!!!! How about "jaloosky" for the name? Quite fitting IMO… 🙂

Reply

Vainglorious October 23, 2014 um 8:15 am

Honestly, HotBlooded is good, but a simple JBW has a distinctive ring to it. 1 JBW please.

Reply

Taylor February 25, 2015 um 12:00 pm

My husband and I just made this the other night and it was AMAZING!!! I actually featured your recipe (and credited you of course) on my blog! Thanks so much for sharing!

Reply

W Mark Hay October 6, 2017 um 3:22 pm

I’m gonna higher test this as the Hotblooded Martini (none of that juicy juice to soften it up, but still all the flavors): still the whiskey (2 oz), Solerno blood orange liqueur (1 oz), pepper vodka (1 oz), agave to taste… tell you in a minute… also added some orange bitters and some bourbon barrel aged spiced cherry bitters…DAMN, that’s being added to my basement bar specialty cocktails fluorescent menu sign! Not for the timid, but for the rest of us, this is cool, er, hot and tasty!

Reply

Write a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*
*

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.