Pepper Vodka and Russia's Revenge

Apparently I am on a super easy recipe kick because this one is also about as easy as it can get, but oh, so worth it. (On second thought, is infusing vodka considered a recipe?)

One of my best friends had a firefighter themed 21st birthday and I bought her a bottle of Absolut Peppar to celebrate with. We made shots out of it and Kahlua that were pretty much amazing, but there was no way we could have downed the vodka straight. When they make it pepper flavored, they go all the way.
Being me, I wondered how they infuse these flavors into vodkas. As it turns out, it's a fairly simple process, at least for the home cook.

Step 1, as always, is gather ingredients. One bottle of average vodka (who doesn't love a good quality bottle like Smirnoff?), one airtight bottle large enough to hold the vodka (lucky you if they're on sale at the store you work at), and three peppers: a serrano, a habanero and a jalapeno.

Cut each pepper in half and remove the seeds. Save only the seedless half. You could use the other half for something else, like salsa or enchilada soup. Yum.

Pour the vodka into the bottle and add the peppers. I only used about 3/4 of the bottle of the vodka. Some drinks just won't work with pepper vodka. Sad, but true. And I had to cut my peppers into slices so they would fit through the neck of the bottle. Not a problem.

Seal the top and swirl the bottle to thoroughly mix the peppers and the vodka. Let it sit in a cold, dark place for 3-5 days. Once (or twice, if you're antsy like me) a day swirl the bottle around again to continue the mixing. The longer you wait, the more peppery the vodka will be, but don't wait longer than 5 days.

When it's ready, pour the contents out into a large enough container and remove the peppers. If pepper pieces are left in the vodka, strain through a piece of cheesecloth or a coffee filter and the pour back into the bottle. My vodka took on a really cool green tint from the peppers.

Now pour yourself a nice wine glass (don't judge) of spicy Bloody Mary with your pepper vodka. I don't have a cool Bloody Mary recipe, but I do have another recipe! No pictures though. Sorry.

Russia's Revenge
2 oz pepper vodka
1 oz Kahlua
Milk (or light cream, if you want to be legit)

1. Pour the pepper vodka and kahlua over ice in a rocks glass.
2. Fill the rest of the glass with milk.
3. Feel the burn.

I lied about the picture. This is what it'll look like. Perfection.