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Certain cocktails are just built for spice — whether that comes in the form of a Tajín rim or a spicy cocktail syrup. Other times, however, the key to a deliciously spicy cocktail is a spice you use every day: peppercorns. This tip comes from Deena Sayers, beverage director at The Stand in New York City. “The purpose of adding muddled peppercorns is to introduce a bright, peppery top note and a subtle, lingering warmth that engages the palate in a way that ground pepper simply can’t,” she says. “They interact with a number of spirits and add depth and aroma to the drinks to enhance the overall flavor profile.”
According to Sayers, the key to a deliciously spicy, peppercorn cocktail is to muddle them correctly. “When muddling peppercorns for cocktails, the key is gentle pressure,” she explains. “You want to lightly crush them to release their aromatic oils without pulverizing them, which can lead to bitterness.” To do this, you can either put the peppercorns at the bottom of your cocktail glass prior to pouring in the liquids or muddle them directly in the cocktail shaker and shake them with the rest of the ingredients. Either way, you’ll want to have a stainless steel cocktail muddler, which can be purchased from Amazon.
Muddled gently and lightly as Sayers recommends, the peppercorns will release a balanced, warm and spicy flavor to your cocktails — the goal being to crack them open, not crush them into dust.
Some peppercorn inspiration for your spicy cocktails
Now that you know how to muddle your cocktails, the next step is to experiment with the peppercorn’s bright flavor and what drinks to pair it with. Fortunately, Sayers has done plenty of that herself and she tells Tasting Table that there are several kinds of cocktails that can be enhanced by the flavor of gently muddled peppercorns. “For example, a gin basil smash comes to life with the herbaceous-ness of the basil and the floral nuances of the gin,” she says, “a paloma can gain an unexpected layer of complexity with muddled pink peppercorns, complementing the grapefruit and tequila, and even a classic Old Fashioned can be elevated with a few black peppercorns.”
In the case of cocktails that lean on fresh herbs and citrus along with the peppercorns, you’ll want to muddle the delicate leaves, tough citrus, and the peppercorns separately — just to ensure you don’t overdo any of them. You might also like to let the muddled peppercorns mingle with the liquids in the cocktail shaker for a minute prior to shaking and serving them. Left to sit for anywhere from a few minutes to 10, this will give the peppercorns more time to release the essential oils that will make your cocktails so deliciously spicy. It can also be fun to experiment with different types of peppercorns to play off of some of their unique flavors.
