Equipment
Ingredients
Botanical Infusion (Batch Base)
- 210 ml green chartreuse
- ½ jalapeño, sliced into 3mm rounds
The Cocktail Build
- 50 ml cachaça, unaged/silver
- 15 ml jalapeño-infused green chartreuse
- 12 ml benedictine
- 15 g agave syrup
- 25 ml lime juice, freshly squeezed and strained
- 1 fresh thyme, whole sprig
Nutrition (per serving)
Method
Place the jalapeño rounds into a small saucepan and add the Green Chartreuse. Bring the liquid to a very gentle simmer (approximately 80°C/176°F)—do not let it reach a rolling boil to prevent alcohol evaporation.
Remove the saucepan from the heat immediately. Strain the liquid through a fine-mesh strainer to remove all jalapeño solids and seeds. Allow the infusion to cool completely to room temperature before use.
In a cocktail shaker, combine 50ml cachaça, 15ml of your prepared jalapeño-Chartreuse, 12ml Benedictine, 15g agave syrup, and 25ml fresh lime juice.
Fill the shaker with large, high-quality ice cubes. Shake vigorously for 12-15 seconds until the exterior of the shaker is frosted and the drink is thoroughly chilled and aerated.
Double strain the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into a chilled coupe glass to ensure no ice shards or pulp remain. Garnish by expressing the oils of a fresh thyme sprig over the surface and dropping it in.
Chef's Notes
- Cachaça choice is critical: look for one distilled in copper pot stills for that essential grassy, earthy backbone.
- The 'Flash Infusion' technique used here extracts the bright, vegetal notes of the jalapeño without the bitter 'stewed' flavors of a long cold maceration.
- Temperature control during infusion is paramount; boiling the Chartreuse will destroy the delicate alpine herbs that make it unique.
Storage
Refrigerator: 1 month — The jalapeño-infused Chartreuse component can be stored in a sealed glass container.
