Quick Bite: Muy Caliente

Jasmine Beck wants to rock your cocktail world. For years, the award-winning bartender has been mixing bold style and a love of spices into her liquid creations. “At O-Ku, chef Sean Park introduced me to new ingredients, and I was given creative freedom to play with flavors,” she says. That freedom unleashed a torrent of wild libations, two of which—a white rum with habanero concoction and a muddled Thai chili pepper with coconut milk drink—won her the 2010 and 2011 Bacardi Mojito Challenges.

This June, she moved to O-Ku’s new speakeasy sister property, The Cocktail Club on upper King. There, a hip rooftop space is lined in herb planters whose seasonality inspires the ever-evolving drink menu. Now, with cilantro and cucumbers in season, Beck’s devised yet another exotic, albeit laborious, treat—The Double Standard. Full of opposing forces from cold cukes to hot peppers, gin to vodka, this drink makes for one heck of a way to toast the final days of summer.

But first you need to whip up some cucumber-infused vodka and serrano-infused gin. “The longer you let the pepper infusion sit, the hotter it will be,” Beck cautions. When making the Double Standard, the fresher your herbs and vegetables are, the better, and don’t forget the celery bitters. “They add balance, depth, and complexity to the flavors,” she says. Of course, you can always skip the hard work and have The Cocktail Club mix one up on the double.

The Double Standard

Jasmine Beck

The Cocktail Club

Ingredients 

The Double Standard
1/2 oz. fresh lime juice
3/4 oz. ginger simple syrup (recipe follows)
4 sprigs cilantro
2 serrano peppers
1 oz. cucumber-infused vodka (recipe at charlestonmag.com)
1 oz. serrano-infused gin (recipe at charlestonmag.com)
2 dashes celery bitters

For the ginger simple syrup:
(Makes 3 cups)
1 palm-size piece ginger, diced
1 cup hot water
3 cups sugar

For cucumber-infused vodka
(Makes 750 mL)
1 bottle vodka
1 cucumber

For serrano-infused gin
(Makes 750 mL)
1 bottle gin
2 serrano peppers

Directions 

The Double Standard
Muddle first four ingredients in cocktail shaker. Add ice, spirits, and bitters. Shake and strain twice before pouring.

For the ginger simple syrup:
Mix ingredients in blender to a syrup consistency. Strain into bottle and refrigerate for up to seven days.

For cucumber-infused vodka
Cut cucumber in long slices, leaving skin on. Insert in top of bottle. Allow to sit overnight.

For serrano-infused gin
Cut serrano peppers lengthwise and seed. Insert in top of bottle. Allow to sit overnight, then strain out peppers.