Chilli Mojito cocktail recipe

Whether this cocktail is a true mojito, a kind of mule or a caprioska, I don’t really care. If Kiera from the bar of Spicers Tamarind Retreat says it’s a mojito, it’s a mojito!

One of the hardest decisions I have to make on a regular basis is what to drink when I’m at the bar. First World problem? Yes. Nonetheless important? Absolutely!

Thankfully, while we were staying at Spicers Tamarind Retreat in Qeensland recently, the lovely Kiera running the bar there made the choice for us. And what a choice it was. It turns out Kiera had developed her own recipe for an Asian chilli mojito.

We love mojitos – it’s even the first cocktail off the ranks in our 30 Cocktails in 30 Days Challenge and the first recipe in our cocktail book our cocktail ebook ‘How to Host the Perfect Cocktail Party. We also love chilli, so it’s clear we were destined to drink this bad boy!

The recipe’s pretty simple – though it needs a bit of prep work first. The drink calls for chilli-infused vodka, which you make by popping four large chillies and a couple of hot birdseye chillies – halved lengthways – into a bottle of vodka and leaving it for 3 – 4 days.

The Spicers Tamarind Retreat Chilli Mojito

Here’s what you need:

• 1 measure chilli-infused vodka
• Juice of half a lime
• 5-6 Viet mint leaves
• Top up with ginger ale

Here’s what you do:

1. Pour the chilli vodka and lime juice over ice into a cocktail shaker.
2. Bruise the mint leaves by holding them in your palm and clapping your hands. This releases the oils and flavours of the mint.
3. Put the mint in the shaker and shake everything together.
4. Pour everything into a lowball glass or Mason jar including the ice and mint leaves.
5. Top up with ginger ale then garnish with a sliced chilli on the edge of the glass and a straw.

The quantities here give this mojito quite a kick, but that’s what I like about it. You can vary the heat of the cocktail by using more or fewer chillies in the vodka.

If you’re not used to chilli heat, you might want to have a glass of milk or a bit of bread to hand just in case! And whatever you do, don’t drink more water – that only makes chilli burn worse!

What’s your favourite cocktail? Do you have any tips for a chilli extinguisher? Tell us in the comments!

Images by Mrs Romance.

We visited Spicers Tamarind Retreat, Qld as guests of Tourism & Events Queensland. Visit their site for information, bookings in and around the state of Queensland.