How to Make the Smoke and Sriracha Mirrors Cocktail

Markdrinks, recipe

I challenged myself to make some savory cocktails for the month of November and sriracha seemed like a good place to start. Amazingly enough, it works really well.

For the record, I didn’t just throw sriracha in a mixing glass and stir. While that would probably work fine, I wanted a little more consistency and control in the flavor. So I made a simple syrup and added sriracha.  I found myself surprised at how much I liked the result. The sweetness of the syrup with just a hint of spice at the end makes for a great addition to a cocktail. If you want to make your own, it’s easy. I found about one-half a tablespoon per cup of simple syrup to be the sweet spot, pun intended. But considering how many people love sriracha and the varying levels of spice that go along with it, experiment on your own and find what works for you.

As for the cocktail itself, the new rye gin from Still Austin seemed like the right choice. It has a rich profile with just a hint of that rye spiciness to go along with the sriracha. If you can’t find Still Austin rye gin at your local liquor store, there are some other rye gins out there. I just can’t guarantee the flavor will be the same.

I also wanted more complexity and bitterness in the cocktail, so Cynar won the day. It’s got a great profile that meshes well with the spiciness of the drink while not adding too much sweetness. I tried a few others but Cynar worked the best.

The one thing that disappointed me about this was that I really wanted to smoke the glass with some wood smoking chips instead of my go-to rosemary. I just couldn’t find my smoking chips. I’ll definitely try this in the future with a more mesquite smoke to see what it’s like. I think for the Holidays I may need to ask for a smoking gun for my drinks. I’m sure the fire alarm in the house will love that.

And before you ask… I have no idea what a sriracha mirror is. Names are hard, ya’ll.

smoke and sriracha mirrors
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Smoke and Sriracha Mirrors

A slightly spicy, savory cocktail that celebrates sriracha in all its glory.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 oz Still Austin Rye Gin
  • 1/2 oz Sriracha Simple Syrup Add about 1/2 tbsp sriracha to 1 cup of simple syrup
  • 1/4 oz Cynar

Instructions

  1. Stir all the ingredients with ice until well chilled. 

  2. Strain into a smoked glass on the rocks. 

  3. Enjoy!

Recipe Video