Piment d'Espelette (Chili Pepper)

• Red chile liqueur produced by Giffard in Angers, France
• Piment d’Espelette is a red chile pepper grown only in the Basque region of France; it is the only French spice with APO/DPO recognition, limited to ten villages in the southeast of the country
• Base spirit distilled from sugar beets
• Whole, fresh espelette peppers are macerated for four weeks; the resulting infusion is additionally fortified with aged rhum agricole from Martinique
• Sweetened with sugar beet sugar
• An herbaceous nose kicks into assertive chili spice on a warming mid-palate complemented by hints of vanilla, cinnamon, and anise; a lingering intensity slowly tapers to subtle notes of hot cocoa punctuated with sharp grassiness
• 40% ABV

This versatile mixing liqueur can be used incrementally to introduce varying levels of spice and complexity to a variety of cocktails, and is an intuitive replacement for triple sec or curaçao in spicy variations on Margaritas and other sours.