7 Spicy Cocktails to Add Some Heat to Happy Hour
From a Spicy Margarita to an extra zingy Whiskey Ginger, these drinks prove the best cocktails come with a kick. By Betsy Andrews and Lucy Simon Published on May 30, 2025
Jennifer Causey / FOOD STYLING by EMILY NABORS HALL / PROP STYLING by STEPHANIE L. YEH
It’s a fitting moniker for a cocktail with a spicy kick, but the Kicker Rock is actually named for a dramatic volcanic formation located in the Galápagos Islands. I got wise to the drink and its namesake on a cruise with Ecoventura, whose bespoke cocktail list features this rhum agricole–based libation. Viewed from the north, Kicker Rock resembles a boot. From the south, however, it looks like its other moniker, Sleeping Lion. That could be the drink’s secret name, for its chipotle-and-Tajín heat sneaks slyly up through layers of bitter Campari and sweet pineapple, sour lemon and woodsy herb.
The stealth approach and euphoric finish describe two of the three superpowers that spicy cocktails have. Most get their heat from capsaicin (the fiery compound in chiles), which triggers your mouth not only to taste, but also to feel sensations, including pain. Then your body fights back with bliss-inducing endorphins and dopamine. No wonder Tabasco-spiked Bloody Marys are so popular! Add a shot of vodka to the mix, and you’ve concocted one heck of a party.
But there’s a third effect. “Compounds such as capsaicin found in chile peppers may enhance other tastes,” says Charles Spence, author of Gastrophysics: The New Science of Eating. So spiciness can also theoretically make a drink taste better. That’s where mixologists come in. Andres Damerval, owner of the bar Nicanor in Ecuador and Ecoventura’s onboard mixologist, uses the heat of chipotle hot sauce to enhance the bitterness and fruitiness of the drink. “Spice improves all of it. It pops in the mouth,” he says.
“Spice makes you want to keep coming back,” agrees mixologist Juliette Larrouy, who devised the tingly Wild Gin & Tonic for Austin’s El Raval. Spiked with yuzu and Szechuan peppercorn, the drink nods to chef-owner Laila Bazahm’s mash-up of Spanish and Asian cuisines. “Pepper is a match for a Gin & Tonic,” notes Larrouy. “And citrus is a match. [The taste of] Szechuan peppercorn is between the two.” The spice’s mouth-tingling properties, which come from a compound called hydroxy-alpha-sanshool rather than capsaicin, boost the cocktail’s allure.
Katie Button, chef-owner of Cúrate in Asheville, North Carolina, dials up the heat for a different Spanish drink. Her Spicy Rebujito is faithful to the original’s sherry, mint, and lemon-lime soda, but with a jolt of serrano chile, whose “clean heat hits you in the palate but doesn’t change the drink’s overall flavor,” she says. She serves it on balmy Southern evenings. But its spiciness also gives the drink a homegrown touch. “America is a country that puts hot sauce on anything,” says Button. “And I’m not mad about that.” —Betsy Andrews
ARTICLE WITH ALL OF THE RECIPES
Credit – Jennifer Causey / FOOD STYLING by EMILY NABORS HALL / PROP STYLING by STEPHANIE L. YEH
Szechuan peppercorns are the secret to this bold and spicy G&T.
While a traditional Gin & Tonic is made with just two ingredients — gin and tonic water — this version adds a few aromatic ingredients to create a more complex flavor profile. The Wild Gin & Tonic leans on Szechuan peppercorns to impart spicy notes to an infused gin that is combined with floral and citrusy yuzu juice and orange bitters, and then topped with elderflower tonic water.
The Wild Gin & Tonic is a spicy riff on a Gin & Tonic cocktail that combines gin infused with toasted Szechuan peppercorns with yuzu juice, orange bitters, and tonic water flavored with elderflower. This spicy and citrusy cocktail is served in a highball glass and garnished with lemon and lime slices.
While a traditional Gin & Tonic is made with just two ingredients — gin and tonic water — this version adds a few aromatic ingredients to create a more complex flavor profile. Developed by Moe Aljaff and Juliette Larrouy, the Wild Gin & Tonic leans on Szechuan peppercorns to impart spicy notes to an infused gin. Since the peppercorns have plenty of numbing heat thanks to a compound they contain called hydroxy-alpha-sanshool, the gin only needs to infuse for 30 minutes to take on spicy notes.
Once the peppercorns are strained out, the infused gin is combined with floral and citrusy yuzu juice and orange bitters, and then topped with elderflower tonic water. The result is a dynamic gin and tonic with citrus, floral, and spice notes that keep you coming back for more.
Why the Wild Gin and Tonic works
The beauty of a G&T is in its simplicity: Herbaceous gin is cut with bittersweet tonic water to yield a balanced highball cocktail. This version, though, adds a few choice ingredients to create a more dynamic drink. Toasting the Szechuan peppercorns helps release the fragrant, slightly floral aromas present in the peppercorns and helps temper any bitter notes.
While a squeeze of lemon or lime is a gin and tonic go-to, this recipe calls for yuzu juice for its more gentle tart notes and lightly floral flavor profile. Orange bitters add another layer of citrusy complexity, and an elderflower-flavored tonic water amplifies the drink’s freshness.
This recipe was developed by Moe Aljaff and Juliette Larrouy; the text was written by Lucy Simon.
Ingredients
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1 1/4 ounces (WildGins WildJune Western Style) gin
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1/8 teaspoon toasted Szechuan peppercorns (about 8 peppercorns)
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1 pinch kosher salt
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1/2 ounce yuzu juice
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1 dash orange bitters
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6 ounces (3/4 cups) elderflower tonic water
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Lemon and lime slices, for garnish
Directions
Place gin, peppercorns, and salt in a mixing glass. Muddle until peppercorns are broken and salt is dissolved, about 20 seconds. Let stand, covered, at room temperature, at least 30 minutes or up to 12 hours.
Pour gin mixture through a fine wire-mesh strainer into a highball glass filled with ice; discard solids.
Add yuzu juice and bitters; top with tonic water. Stir to combine, and garnish with lemon and lime slices.
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