About the Spicy Fifty cocktail
The Spicy Fifty is a modern sour with an uncommon heat: vanilla vodka, elderflower syrup, honey syrup, lime juice, and slices of red chili. It is sweet, floral, citrusy, and spicy, with the chili giving the drink a kick that most classic cocktails never attempt.
Salvatore Calabrese created the cocktail in 2004, when vanilla vodka was trendy and London bars were using elderflower syrup because elderflower liqueur did not yet exist. The chili was inspired by chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s chili-forward cooking, and the drink may also nod to the similar MyZo, a competition winner that used lemon instead of lime and skipped the honey.
