Recipe

• 1.5oz strawberry and black peppercorn infused mezcal**
• .5oz high proof Islay whisky (I used Ardbeg Corryvreckan – a flavor monster at 57%)
• .5oz Tempus Fugit Creme de Cacao
• 3 dashes chocolate bitters
• 1 generous dash of Bittermens Hellfire Habanero shrub (sub with any pepper tincture or even a dash of habanero hot sauce)
• Campari reduction*

Paint the thickened Campari reduction on the inside and outside of a glass (alternatively, just spread along the outside of the rim for ease). Dust some freshly ground pepper over top (outside only – don’t want pepper floating in your drink). Stir the other ingredients together with ice, then strain over a fresh large cube. Express a lemon twist over the surface of the drink, then discard.

*To make the Campari reduction, heat up Campari in a pan/pot on the stove until reduced by at least 2/3. Let it cool slightly to thicken.

**To make the mezcal infusion, cover a jar full of strawberries with just a few whole black peppercorns with mezcal, and let it rest for a week or longer. Taste it every few days and adjust infusion time to taste. You may want to remove the peppercorns early if the flavor gets too unpleasantly strong.

About

If I managed to convince anyone to whip up some strawberry & black peppercorn infusion with the Brunch Culture cocktail, today I’ve got another recipe idea for ya – this one with some fun Campari “paint”! Red berry, smoke, chocolate fondue, and rich spice – with a velvety creaminess that coats your mouth thanks to the luscious creme de cacao. Since black pepper tends to translate quite floral (instead of spicy) in infusions, habanero tincture along with freshly ground pepper nicely kicks it up a notch.