I’m a Bourbon girl. Through and through.  And, I feel it is important for me to add, I was in a very serious relationship with Bourbon long before it became trendy.  You ain’t sh*t, Williamsburg.

It’s no surprise then that when I enjoy a night out for cocktails, Bourbon is always my numero uno spirt of choice.  Ask about me.

Actually, no don’t do that.

Over the weekend I cheated on Bourbon a little. Well, A LOT, actually. While eagerly scanning the cocktail list I came across a drink that included the following: Grey Goose Melon (eh, I guess), pineapple juice (too sweet, moving along) and habanero syrup (Now watch me whip). Ya see, friends, I like it spicy, just like my men.  A gift and a curse (AmIRight).

Still, I heard a little voice in my head saying, “Wait, so you’re gonna tell me that you’re about to swap out Bourbon for pineapple juice? Have you no human decency? Are you trying out for The Real Housewives of Atlanta?” In response, I lovingly gazed at the beautiful bottles filled with brown and said, “Don’t worry, Bourbon, I’ll drink you next! Love you, mean it!”

Or nah.

Yeah, that never happened because the melon-pineapple-habanero combo was so outrageous I had to keep going back for more. Light, refreshing, definitely NOT too sweet & surprisingly floral.

Levels.

The bartender was sworn to secrecy on the recipe so I became a mad scientist, experimenting away with alcohol (what a drag) to bring you a very good beverage to sip on this summer. Or this winter. Or on your lunch break.

This is normally the part where I would say “you’re welcome” but because you’re going to drink several (I’m guessing 5) of these, “thank you” probably won’t be the words you’ll be sending my way. Might want to add ibuprofen to the grocery list.

Godspeed, Scooter Pieians.

XO

Siguiendo el Sol

Ingredients:

Cocktail:

• 2 oz Grey Goose Melon
• 1/2 oz Pineapple Juice
• 1 oz lime juice, fresh (DO NOT buy the bottled stuff)
• 1 oz habanero syrup

Habanero Syrup:

• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup sugar, granulated
• 2 habanero peppers (also known as Scotch Bonnet)

Procedure:

1. Prepare the habanero syrup. In a saucepan, add the water & sugar. Wearing plastic gloves, poke the habanero peppers a few times with a tip of a pairing knife. This will help release the flavorful oils. Add the peppers to the sauce pan. For the love of God DO NOT touch any body part after touching the peppers.  Remove the gloves immediately and trash them. You have been warned.
2. Over medium heat, bring the mixture to a boil, mixing to dissolve any sugar granules.
3. Remove from heat and let the peppers infuse the simple syrup for at least 4 hours or overnight.
4. Add all of the ingredients to a cocktail shaker (a mason jar works like a charm, too!), along wit a few cubes of ice.  Shake it like a polaroid picture (sorry), strain & serve “up” in a chilled martini glass.
5. Happiness.

Scooter Pie Shout Out: This recipe was an adaptation of the Summer Scorcher from Pastabilities, Armory Square.