In my capsaicin-crazed family, the more a hot sauce or solid pepper forced one to cough so badly that their eyes welled up with tears the better. Indeed, The Cough ‘n’ Cry was their stamp of approval.
Not for me and my sweet tooth though. For about 25 years, I’d have nothing to do with such brutishness….until someone offered me a chilito candy, my gateway drug to Scoville-ville.
So when I found Bon Appetit’s Chili-Lime-Pineapple Soda, I was all in because I could taste the sweet heat while learning how to whip up one of these bad boys.
Chili-Lime-Pineapple Soda by Bon Appetit
- Pink peppercorns (I used black)
- Lime
- Dried chiles de arbol
- Pineapple juice
- Sugar
- Salt
- Club soda
Equipment: mortar & pestle, paring knife or peeler, 1-quart airtight container, fine-mesh strainer, 1-cup measuring glass
I ended up making three versions based on the pepper substitutions suggested: one with chile de arbol, a second with raw serranos, and a third with raw jalapenos. Without intending too, I left the liquid-pepper infusions sit for five days instead of the suggested three.