Hellfire bitters are the perfect union of two powerhouses: A duet of strong coffee, and hot peppers! And you are the alchemist!
Hellfire Bitters
Ingredients:
2 whole dried chipotle pepper
6 whole dried arbol chilies
2 whole dried ancho chili
6 tablespoons whole espresso beans
3-5 cinnamon sticks
2 tablespoons chopped walnut bark
3 cups vodka, moonshine or grain alcohol
Instructions:
1. Combine peppers, espresso beans, cinnamon sticks and walnut bark in a pint-sized Mason jar.
2. Add alcohol (approx. 3 cups) and fill the jar up to the freeze line.
3. Steep in a dark, cool place for 48 hours (or until infused to your liking), shaking once per day.
4. Strain ingredients using a mesh strainer and a coffee filter.
5. Funnel strained bitters into small storage bottles and store in a cool, dry place – away from sunlight.
6. Enjoy.
Tips:
The longer you steep, the spicier it will be. The recommended 48-hour steeping time is a good place to start, but feel free to explore longer or shorter times to taste.
As you taste your bitters, keep in mind that you’ll only be adding a few drops to a cocktail. It should be very strong if you taste them it of the jar.
If you want to make your bitters with more of a bite, you can always select spicier peppers, or slice them open before steeping. Exposing the insides to the infusion will create a spicier final product.
As always, experiment with the amounts and make it your own, but be wary of adding too much espresso. It doesn’t take much to overwhelm an entire batch.
Half Recipe:
3 tablespoons of whole espresso beans
3 cinnamon sticks
1 tablespoon of chopped walnut bark and
Peppers
Pepper selection is very important. They’re not only responsible for both the hell and the fire, but they can also greatly affect the final product. Experiment, and find what combination works best for you. We found that using a combination of whole, dried chilies adds a nice smoky heat to complement the espresso: 1 chipotle (smoky), 1 ancho (mild) and 3 arbols (spicy) to be exact.
Next, combine the peppers, espresso beans, cinnamon sticks and walnut bark in a pint-sized mason jar.
Add Vodka, grain alcohol or moonshine. Fill to around the freeze line of the mason jar (about 1 ½ cups). Doesn’t have to be exact, you just want to give yourself enough room to shake the contents in the jar and work without making too much of a mess.
Seal tightly and let steep for 48 hours, shaking once per day. More steep time will enable the Everclear to extract more flavor, meaning a more potent taste. Less steep time will make weaker bitters with more of an alcohol flavor. It’s best to steep to taste. And to taste, you’ll want to try no more than a drop, or you can dilute with a splash of club soda or water. It should be potent (remember, you’re just using a few drops in a cocktail), and taking a swig is not only ill advised, but downright painful.
Once it’s infused to your liking, strain all the ingredients out to finish with a nice, clean final product. To do this, place a coffee filter in a mesh strainer and strain your infusion into a clean mason jar. Straining with a coffee filter is a long process, but the end result is typically cleaner than that of a cheesecloth or mesh strainer alone.
Now that you have your finished bitters, it’s time to bottle and enjoy. It’s best to find a small bottle with either a dropper or shaker top to prevent over-usage. Keep in a cool, dry place, away from sunlight. Add bitters to cocktails cautiously, and garnish with a pitchfork.
http://makeityourown.com/recipes/featured/hellfire-bitters
