Are you looking for a cocktail that is refreshing and has a touch of heat? Stephanie Izard’s spicy lime and ginger cocktail features ginger syrup made from fish sauce, makrut leaves, cilantro, and Thai chiles. Fresh ginger gives the syrup some sweetness, but the Thai chile pepper is what really heats it. Makrut lime leaves give this drink a citrus floral scent. You can find lime leaves in the produce section of supermarkets and at Asian food stores. Fish sauce is a surprising addition, but it balances out the sweetness in the syrup with its salty-funky taste. The stems of cilantro are full of flavor and can be used to cook with.
This syrup can be made ahead and mixed with tequila and lime juice whenever you want. This is a delicious cocktail that you will want to drink all summer.
Ingredients
Spicy Ginger Syrup
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 Thai chile, chopped
- One tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh peeled ginger
- Three makrut lime leaves
- Two cilantro stems, leaves stripped.
- 1/2 cup water
Enjoy the Cocktail
- 1 1/2 ounces reposado tequila
- 3/4 ounce Spicy Ginger Syrup
- 1/2 ounce fresh lime juice
- 4 ounces of soda water, plus more as needed
- Two springs cilantro
- One lime leaf
Directions
Make the syrup
- In a small pan, bring sugar, chilies, and fish sauce to a rolling boil. Add lime leaves, cilantro, and ginger. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes until the sugar dissolves and the chiles soften. Remove syrup from the heat, and let it steep for about an hour until the temperature is room temperature. Strain syrup into a jar. Cover and chill.
Make the cocktail
- Mix tequila with Spicy Ginger Syrup and lime juice in the cocktail shaker. Pour into a Collins Glass filled with ice. Add soda water and garnish with lime leaves and cilantro sprigs.