Hot Monkey

Hot Monkey has a slight nose of hot peppers at first whiff.  Being a bit of a hot pepper connoisseur, it reminds me of a Sandia or some other green chile. But it’s only a slight nose. Tasting it, not so slight. POW! Far more chile, and somewhere in the burn is some hidden vodka. Somewhere.

The flavor is vegetal, and the feel a bit viscous, which makes me think they infused this with fresh peppers, rather than playing with dried ones. It also feels like green chiles, rather than some smaller Thai or cayenne or other miniature red bomb. Whichever it is, the burn lasts and lasts. Use sparingly. Unless you’re from Texas (which I am).

This makes a very nice Bloody Mary as we discovered this morning. Hmmm… I think it could make a nice vodka variant on a spicy margarita too, like the green chile margaritas I had long ago at Chuy’s in Austin. But I digress… Another enjoyable use for this: a dirty martini, as we discovered last night. But you’d likely want a fair bit of olives and brine, and maybe make it “as dirty as the Gulf of Mexico” as I once heard one ordered.

But do prepare yourself if having this vodka mostly straight.

$26.95 [750ML] Oregon State Liquor Stores.