A Spicy Fifty is a

cocktail A cocktail is a mixed drink, usually alcoholic beverage, alcoholic. Most commonly, a cocktail is a combination of one or more liquor, spirits mixed with other ingredients, such as juices, flavored syrups, tonic water, Shrub (drink), shrubs, and ...

containing

vanilla Vanilla is a spice derived from orchids of the genus ''Vanilla (genus), Vanilla'', primarily obtained from pods of the flat-leaved vanilla (''Vanilla planifolia, V. planifolia''). ''Vanilla'' is not Autogamy, autogamous, so pollination ...

-flavored

vodka Vodka ( ; is a clear distilled beverage, distilled alcoholic beverage. Its varieties originated in Poland and Russia. Vodka is composed mainly of water and ethanol but sometimes with traces of impurities and flavourings. Traditionally, it is ...

with elderflower cordial,

lime juice A lime is a citrus fruit, which is typically round, lime green in colour, in diameter, and contains acidic juice vesicles. There are several species of citrus trees whose fruits are called limes, including the Key lime (''Citrus aurantiifoli ...

honey Honey is a sweet and viscous substance made by several species of bees, the best-known of which are honey bees. Honey is made and stored to nourish bee colonies. Bees produce honey by gathering and then refining the sugary secretions of pl ...

syrup In cooking, syrup (less commonly sirup; from ; , beverage, wine and ) is a condiment that is a thick, viscous liquid consisting primarily of a Solution (chemistry), solution of sugar in water, containing a large amount of dissolved sugars but ...

, and red

chili pepper Chili peppers, also spelled chile or chilli ( ), are varieties of fruit#Berries, berry-fruit plants from the genus ''Capsicum'', which are members of the nightshade family Solanaceae, cultivated for their pungency. They are used as a spice to ...

. To prepare, the ingredients are added to a

cocktail shaker A cocktail shaker is a device used to mix beverages (usually alcoholic) by shaking. When ice is put in the shaker, this allows for a quicker cooling of the drink before serving. Usage A shaken cocktail is made by putting the desired ingredie ...

and shaken with

ice Ice is water that is frozen into a solid state, typically forming at or below temperatures of 0 ° C, 32 ° F, or 273.15 K. It occurs naturally on Earth, on other planets, in Oort cloud objects, and as interstellar ice. As a naturally oc ...

. The chili optionally can be muddled in the base of the shaker. More chili can be added to make it spicier. The drink is then double-strained into a chilled

cocktail glass A cocktail glass is a stemware, stemmed glass (drinkware), glass with an inverted cone bowl, mainly used to serve bartending terminology#Straight up, straight-up cocktails. The term ''cocktail glass'' is often used interchangeably with ''marti ...

. A whole pepper is used as garnish sitting at the rim of the glass. The drinker should be cautioned against eating the pepper. The Spicy Fifty cocktail was added to the

list of IBA official cocktails The IBA official cocktails are cocktails recognised by the International Bartenders Association (IBA) to be the most requested recipes. The list was developed starting in 1960, and the first version was announced in 1961, comprising 50 cocktails. ...

in 2020 in the new era drink category. It was created by beverage expert Salvatore Calabrese, and named after the bar FIFTY in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, where Calabrese formerly worked before it closed. It is described as sweet with a spicy finish that pairs well with Asian fusion cuisine. Salvatore Calabrese created the cocktail in 2004-2005 as his

signature drink A Signature drink is any unique or original drink that expresses the nature of the person or establishment creating it. Signature drinks often incorporate local ingredients and culture. They can be fashioned or designed to represent a theme or c ...

for the first menu of the bar FIFTY that opened in February 2005. It is also said to have been created to commemorate his birthday. Calabrese was influenced by Jean-George Vongerichten, a

Michelin-starred The ''Michelin Guides'' ( ; ) are a series of guide books that have been published by the French tyre company Michelin since 1900. The ''Guide'' awards up to three Michelin stars for excellence to a select few restaurants in certain geographic ...

chef, who made dishes where chili was a prominent ingredient. This was during an era where vanilla-flavored vodkas were trendy. Variations include the MyZo cocktail (which uses

lemon juice The lemon (''Citrus'' × ''limon'') is a species of small evergreen tree in the ''Citrus'' genus of the flowering plant family Rutaceae. A true lemon is a hybrid of the citron and the bitter orange. Its origins are uncertain, but some ...

instead of lime juice and no honey syrup) and Fuego Manzana No.2 (which uses

tequila Tequila (; ) is a liquor, distilled beverage made from the blue agave plant, primarily in the area surrounding the city of Tequila, Jalisco, Tequila northwest of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Guadalajara, and in the Jaliscan Highlands (''Los Altos (Jal ...

instead of vodka and uses apple

schnapps Schnapps ( or ) or schnaps is a type of alcoholic beverage that may take several forms, including distilled fruit brandies, herbal liqueurs, infusions, and "flavored liqueurs" made by adding fruit syrups, spices, or artificial flavorings to ...

and apple juice instead of lime juice).

References

{{IBACocktails Cocktails with vodka

See also

References