Fall Updates & Brussels Sprouts

Well, it's been an exciting season so far.  We have new distribution: Cream Wine Company, in Chicago, The Crafty Bartender in Toronto, and Beverages, Etc., in Kansas.  And, Forrest and I made a trip to a post-Sandy New York City- luckily, most all of our vendors make it through the storm with little or no damage.  We did tastings at Blue Apron Foods, Brooklyn Larder, Stinky, and Brooklyn Farmacy.

Forrest at Stinky- he's so into it!

Here he is at Blue Apron foods, more contemplative.

Our syrups on the shelf at Foragers Market in Dumbo.

This year, I think I OD'ed on fall's usual suspects (see this blog post from last year), so I've been experimenting with some different autumn flavors.  Forrest and I are now obsessed with vegetables roasted in the oven and glazed with Three Chiles Syrup.  The recipe is so easy- also try it with asparagus, squash, carrots, or your favorite root vegetable.

Sweet & Spicy Brussels Sprouts
2 cups brussels sprouts, trimmed & quartered
1 tablespoon grated ginger
1 tablespoon grated garlic
1 tablespoon canola or olive oil
salt, to taste
2-3 tablespoons Royal Rose Three Chiles Syrup

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Toss the vegetables, ginger, garlic, salt, and oil together in a mixing bowl and turn onto a baking sheet.  Roast in the oven for about 20 minutes or until the brussels sprouts are beginning to brown and the leaves are getting crisp.  At this point, drizzle 2-3 tablespoons of Royal Rose Three Chiles Syrup over the vegetables and return to the oven for another 5-10 minutes. Enjoy!

Pepper Pot

Making Three Chiles syrup is always a process, but last week, we had an extra challenge: filling, labeling, and shipping a billion mini bottles. (Well, okay, maybe not a billion technically...)

For our chile syrup, we use three different kinds of peppers: fresh jalapeno peppers, fresh poblano peppers, and smoked and dried ancho chiles.  We (by which I mean I) slice the fresh peppers into rings to prep them for the pot. I use kitchen shears to snip the dried ancho chiles into smaller pieces.  Here you can see all the kids in the pool:

A blend of peppers creates a balanced syrup that doesn't set your mouth on fire.

I'd like to tell you more details about our process, but then I'd have to kill you. 

After we funnel the syrup into bottles, hand-cap and label each bottle, you see the finished product:

 

2 oz. samples

Here are more adorable little 2-oz. bottles, all packed snug in their beds and ready to go out on that big brown truck:

These particular bottles are going out to Julibox, a very cool company that delivers subscribers a curated box of spirits and mixers. You can read more about them here.

Forrest and I love our Three Chiles Syrup- it's one of the most versatile flavors in our collection.  There are lots of cocktail recipes that call for this syrup, but it's so easy to improvise when you have an ingredient that compliments virtually every spirit (tequila and rum, of course, but also mezcal, whiskey, vodka, and more).  Three Chiles Syrup makes an excellent glaze for meats or vegetables (think brussels sprouts with garlic, ginger, and a Three Chiles drizzle) and adds a little bit of sweetness, smoke, and spice to salad dressings and sauces.

I'll leave you with this recipe for a Mexican hot chocolate- it's sweet and chocolatey with mild heat from the peppers.

2 cups milk (I used organic 1% milk)
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon Royal Rose Three Chiles Syrup
cinnamon stick, for grating

Heat the milk until very hot, then whisk in cocoa and Three Chiles Syrup until smooth.  Pour into mugs and grate fresh cinnamon to taste.  Makes 2 servings.

The Chili Devil Margarita

Thank you to Depanneur for this excellent recipe. I highly recommend checking out their store in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.  They have fresh coffee, sandwiches, and a fantastic pantry.

MAKES 2 DRINKS

Ingredients:

• 1/2 shot Rose’s Simple Syrup – Three Chiles
• 1/2 Belvoir Cordials – lime and lemongrass
• 2 shots of tequila
• 2 shots water
• juice of one lime, save one small wedge
• 1 tbsp of raw sugar
• 1 tbsp of chile powder, mixed

Instructions:
1, Mix the raw sugar and chile powder in a shallow bowl; set aside. Rub a lime wedge around the rim of the glass and dip into the chili-sugar mixture.
2. Combine remaining ingredients in a shaker, over ice, and shake vigorously for thirty seconds. Add more ice to rimmed cups and gently pour mixture on top. Serve immediately. Repeat.

Photo by Depanneur

Virgin Sacrifice

From Wikipedia: "Xtabentún is an anise liqueur made in Mexico's Yucatán region from anise seed, and fermented honey produced by bees from the nectar of xtabentún flowers. Rum is then added to the anise and honey mixture. Because of the rum content, the xtabentún liqueur is sometimes called a "distilled honey" beverage, which is misleading, because the honey alcohol is fermented, not distilled."

Umm...sounds pretty good to me!

Recipe by James Bumbery:

2oz. Xtabentún
1 oz. fresh lime juice
1/2 oz. Luxardo amaretto
1/4 oz. Royal Rose Three Chiles Syrup
dash of Scrappy's grapefruit bitters

Shake ingredients with ice; serve straight up.

White Cyclone

Bittermens mole bitters and our Three Chiles Syrup take this to the limit.  Drink straight up or on the rocks.

2 oz. white rum
1/2 oz. Royal Rose Three Chiles Syrup
1/2 oz. fresh lime juice
1/2 dropper-full Bittermens mole bitters

Add ingredients to a Boston shaker half-full of ice; shake vigorously. Strain into a cocktail glass and garnish with a lime twist.

Mexican Marauder

2 oz. Chinaco reposado tequila
1/2 oz. fresh lemon juice
1/2 oz. Royal Rose Three Chiles Syrup
1/3 dropper-full Bittermen Burlesque bitters
1/3 dropper-full Bittercube Jamaican #1 bitters

Add ingredients to a Boston shaker half-full of ice; shake vigorously.  Serve on the rocks or straight up.

Mexico City Organ Grinder Splash

Recipe by Warren Bobrow; makes 2 drinks

2 shots of Tuthilltown White Whiskey
2 shots Casa Noble Tequila
1 tablespoon of Royal Rose Three Chile Syrup
1 medicine dropper of Bitter End Mexican Mole Bitters
cava, champagne, or sparkling wine

Add whiskey, tequila, and Royal Rose Three Chiles Syrups to a cocktail shaker half full of ice.  Shake.  Strain into 2 coupe glasses, then add exactly five drops of the Bitter End Mexican Mole Bitters into each glass.  Top with a splash of cava. Garnish with a cherry.

New Years in the Tropics

2 oz. cachaca
1/2 oz. lime juice
1/2 oz. Royal Rose Three Chiles
1/4 dropper Bittermens Mole bitters

Combine ingredients in a Boston shaker and add ice.  Shake vigorously. Serve straight up or on the rocks.

Acapulco "Slippery" Tea

Recipe by Warren Bobrow. Makes 2 drinks.

4 shots of Casa Noble Crystal Tequila
1 Tablespoon of Royal Rose Three Chiles Syrup
6 ounces of green tea, iced
Seltzer water
Crushed Coconut water ice (Fill an ice cube tray with unsweetened coconut water)

Chill two Martini glasses.  Half-fill a pint glass or cocktail shaker with regular ice. Add the Casa Noble Crystal Tequila. Add the Royal Rose Three Chiles Simple Syrup. Shake. Add 6 oz iced green tea to the cocktail shaker, stir. Crush some of the coconut water ice and add the shards to your pre-chilled Martini glass. Strain the tequila mixture into the glasses. Top with a bit of seltzer. Garnish with a sprig of cilantro.

Moonshiner's Nightmare

Recipe by Warren Bobrow:

2oz. Hudson New York Corn Whiskey
3oz. freshly made sweet black tea
3oz. Apple Cider ( Warren prefers unfiltered)
1oz. Royal Rose Three Chilies Syrup ( a nice burn in this syrup)

Brew tea, let cool. Add Apple Cider to the tea. Mix in Hudson New York Corn Whiskey, then add the syrup. Shake and stain into a tall cocktail glass with rock ice. Garnish with a slice of grilled apple.

Three Chiles Hot Chocolate

I don't know why I hadn't thought of this before! It's delicious...totally addictive.  The ancient Mayans drank hot chocolate with ground chiles, and it's just as good today.

2 cups milk (I used organic 1% milk)
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon Royal Rose Three Chiles Syrup
cinnamon stick, for grating

 Heat the milk until very hot, then whisk in cocoa and Three Chiles Syrup until smooth.  Pour into mugs and grate fresh cinnamon to taste.  Makes 2 servings.

Green Street Grill + Royal Rose = Deliciousness!

Courtesy of George Theodore Jenich of the Green Street Grill, Cambridge, MA:

1.5 oz. Del Maguay Mezcal Vida
1 oz. Drambuie
1/2 oz. Royal Rose Three Chilies Syrup
1/2 oz. fresh lemon juice

Shake it hard, serve straight up in a martini glass with a lime garnish. 

Photo by Blackdahlia Boston

Tuesdays with...Forrie?

Forrest and I made a lot of Three Chiles syrup yesterday.  It's one of my favorite syrups to make, because the color is just so pretty--a deep, dark, warm red--and you can actually see flecks of the ancho chiles, even after straining.

If you haven't tried Royal Rose Three Chiles Syrup yet, let me say that it isn't overwhelmingly hot.  It tastes fruity, sweet, smoky, and spicy.  Lots and lots of peppers, both fresh and dried, give the Three Chiles syrup a really unique and assertive flavor.  Try it with tequila (a slam dunk!), or rum.  At the Royal Rose tasting at Blue Apron Foods a few weeks ago, one person bought a bottle to drizzle on top of vanilla ice cream.  That sounds dangerously good.

Try this drink on a hot night (or day).  It really hits the spot.

White Heat
2 oz. white rum
1/2 oz. Royal Rose Three Chiles Syrup
1/2 oz. fresh lime juice
1-2 dashes bitters

Combine ingredients over ice in a Boston shaker.  Shake vigorously.  Serve on the rocks with a lime wedge and a salt rim, if desired.