Spicy Chocolate Vodka

As many of you know, one of my favorite all time drinks is the Mudslide.

There are about 1500 recipes for Mudslides and I'm not sure which is actually the one that is a 'true' mudslide, but the one that I've found that tastes the best is a variation on the White Russian that replaces the cream with irish cream.

Naitalag's Mudslide

Yum. Seriously.

• 2 oz  Spicy Chocolate Vodka*
• 3 oz  Irish Cream (Coole Swan, if you can find it, but Bailey's works)
• 1 oz  Coffee liquor (Kahlua)
• 3 cubes ice

Add ice to glass. Add booze to glass. Drink. Repeat as needed. Don't drive anywhere. 

This drink is seriously strong and not the least bit healthy. Make at your own risk.

*You might be thinking "Wait a second, where do I get Spicy Chocolate Vodka?"  I'm glad you asked. Read on for this week's infusion. 


Spicy Chocolate Vodka
This rich, sweet infusion is prefect almost for any dessert drink that normally uses vodka. This is one of the more involved infusions that I've done (Pumpkin Pie still holds the title of 'Most Complicated'), but it is well worth the small amount of extra effort.

Ingredients: 
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder / nibs
• 1/8 cup brown sugar
• 3 dried chili peppers
• 750 ml vodka (I use Tito's or Dripping Springs, but unflavored Smirnoff works just fine)

Tools:
• 1 qt Mason Jar
• Filters, lots of filters
• Funnel

 The first part of the infusion process is fairly simple. Take jar. Add cocoa. Add brown sugar. Add vodka. Close Jar. Put someplace dark and cool. Shake thoroughly at least twice daily. Do this for at least 10 days.

"But what about those 3 dried chili peppers?" you might be asking. "Did you forget to add them to list of things to do first?" No, I didn't. It turns out, if you add the peppers too soon, all you wind up with is brown vodka that is too spicy to drink. This has something to do with capsaicin and chemical bonding. It was explained to me by a friend who's a bit smarter than I am. The bottom line is, just trust me on this one, I've made mistakes so you don't have to.

Back to the instructions. Now that you've babysat this concoction for 10 days (or more), it's time to add the chili peppers. Make sure you do this 6-12 hours before you have a few hours to set aside for straining. I wouldn't let them sit there for longer than 24.

Now comes the real pain in this process. Filtering. With some infusions, you can get away with mesh strainers, or a single coffee filter. With this bad boy, you're dealing with some serious sludge. Be prepared for a slow drain, and be ready to change out your filters a few times.

Sludge!

Once you get the heavy goop out, it may be worth a second pass before this infusion finds the bottle that will be its final home, but I've found it doesn't really need it.

After a few weeks of waiting and a few hours of straining, you finally have your very own bottle of Spicy Chocolate vodka.

Drink well, be safe, and feel free to comment if you have any questions or suggestions.