Fresh Ingredients

Chilli

Chilli is the fresh fruit of the Capsicum plant, and its heat comes from capsaicin, held mostly in the white pith where the seeds attach rather than in the seeds or the flesh. A red chilli is a green one left to ripen: sweeter, fruitier and sometimes hotter. Our recipes put it into the shaker as thin deseeded slices or a small pressed piece, and on top as a garnish.

Quick Facts

Legal categoryFood

OriginNative to the Americas; now grown worldwide

Flavour Strengthvery bold

Our keeping timeFresh: about a week refrigerated. Tincture: several months, sealed.

Storage

Fresh chillies in the fridge, used within a week. A high-proof tincture keeps for months in a sealed dropper bottle.

Allergens

None of the 14 listed allergens.

The ingredient

About Chilli

Flavour Profile

Primary Flavours

HeatFruity pepperGreen

Tasting Notes

Bright, peppery heat over a fruity or grassy base, from a gentle warmth to a fierce burn depending on the variety.

Capsaicin sits in the pith, not the seeds

Chilli is the fruit of Capsicum plants, native to the Americas and now grown everywhere. Its heat comes from capsaicin, which is concentrated in the pale pith where the seeds attach; the seeds taste hot because they sit against it. Strip the pith and the seeds together and the fruity, peppery flavour stays while most of the burn goes.

Capsaicin barely dissolves in water but dissolves readily in alcohol. In a spirit-led shake a chilli gives up its heat quickly, and on your hands only soap will move it.

A red chilli is a green one left to ripen

Most chillies are sold at both stages. Left on the plant, the fruit turns red, sweeter and rounder, and it can get hotter, though variety and growing conditions matter more than colour. Recipes pick red for how it looks in a pale drink and for a fruitiness that sits with sweet ingredients, where green brings a sharper vegetable edge.

Our two chilli recipes both want fresh red chilli. The Spicy Fifty shakes two thin, deseeded slices with the drink and sets a whole chilli on the rim. The Picante de la Casa presses a small piece about 6mm wide and keeps the cut top back to stand upright in the drink by its stem. Pick firm, glossy fruit with taut skin.

Ways to put chilli in a drink

Thin slices

How it is used: Shaken with the drink, then double strained
Where the heat lands: Through the drink, with fruit and green notes
In our recipes: Spicy Fifty

Small pressed piece

How it is used: Pressed once or twice in the shaker
Where the heat lands: Through the drink, a little sharper
In our recipes: Picante de la Casa

Whole chilli or cut top

How it is used: Set on the rim or stood in the drink
Where the heat lands: Builds slowly as the drink sits
In our recipes: Spicy Fifty, Picante de la Casa

Tincture

How it is used: Added by the drop
Where the heat lands: Evenly, and the same in every drink
In our recipes: None

Chilli salt

How it is used: On the rim
Where the heat lands: On the lip at each sip; the drink itself is unchanged
In our recipes: None

Form	How it is used	Where the heat lands	In our recipes
Thin slices	Shaken with the drink, then double strained	Through the drink, with fruit and green notes	Spicy Fifty
Small pressed piece	Pressed once or twice in the shaker	Through the drink, a little sharper	Picante de la Casa
Whole chilli or cut top	Set on the rim or stood in the drink	Builds slowly as the drink sits	Spicy Fifty, Picante de la Casa
Tincture	Added by the drop	Evenly, and the same in every drink	None
Chilli salt	On the rim	On the lip at each sip; the drink itself is unchanged	None

Heat climbs, so add it in small steps

Capsaicin builds on the palate rather than fading, so a drink that tastes right on the first sip tastes hotter by the third. Use a thin slice or a single drop, taste, and add more only if it needs it.

A tincture, chilli steeped in high-strength spirit and strained, doses by the drop and gives the same heat every time. A chilli-salt rim puts the heat on the lip and leaves the drink alone. For a green, grassier heat, the jalapeño is the named chilli to reach for.

Soap, gloves and a separate board keep it out of everything else

Wash your hands with soap after slicing and keep them clear of your eyes; a rinse under the tap leaves most of it behind. Gloves are worth it if you are cutting several. Keep a board and knife for chilli too, since capsaicin transfers to whatever is cut next, and a chilli-flavoured lime wedge helps nobody.

Using it

Using Chilli

Usage

Two thin slices of fresh red chilli, deseeded, shaken with the Spicy Fifty; a small piece pressed at the bottom of the tin for the Picante de la Casa, saving the cut top to stand in the drink. Taste a sliver first, because heat varies from fruit to fruit.

Pro Tip

Add heat in steps you can judge. Press or slice less than you think, shake, taste from the tin with a straw, and add another slice only if the drink needs it; nothing takes heat back out.

Top Tips

Take out the white pith as well as the seeds for warmth without a fierce burn; the pith holds most of the capsaicin.
Taste a sliver of every chilli before it goes in. Two from the same bag can differ widely in heat.
Wash your hands with soap after slicing and keep them away from your eyes. Water alone barely shifts capsaicin.
Keep a board and knife for chilli, or wash them before the citrus; capsaicin carries on to whatever is cut next.

Possible Substitutions

Hot Sauce: a dash, where a rounded, vinegared heat suits

Production Method

Chillies (Capsicum species) carry their heat in capsaicin, concentrated in the pale pith around the seeds. Fresh, dried, or steeped into a high-proof tincture, they deliver that heat in different strengths.

Go further

More to explore

Common Questions

How do I add chilli heat without overpowering a drink?

Work in small steps. Take out the seeds and pith, use a thin slice or a single drop of tincture, then taste, and only then add more. Capsaicin builds on the palate rather than fading, so the third sip is hotter than the first, and it is far easier to add heat than to take it away.

Are red chillies hotter than green chillies?

Not reliably. A red chilli is usually the same fruit as a green one, left on the plant to ripen. Ripening makes it sweeter and rounder, and it can make it hotter, but variety and growing conditions decide the heat far more than colour does. Taste a sliver rather than going by the colour.

What chilli goes in a Spicy Fifty?

A fresh red chilli: two thin slices, with the seeds and pale pith taken out for a steady warmth rather than a burn, shaken with everything else and then double strained. A whole red chilli sits on the rim. Taste the chilli first, since heat varies from fruit to fruit.

Which cocktails use fresh chilli?

Two of ours, both with fresh red chilli. The Spicy Fifty shakes two thin slices with lime, honey, elderflower cordial and vanilla vodka. The Picante de la Casa presses a small piece into reposado tequila, agave, lime and clapped coriander. For a greener, grassier heat, use jalapeño instead.

What is a chilli tincture?

Chilli steeped in a high-strength neutral spirit until the heat and flavour move across, then strained. Alcohol dissolves capsaicin readily, which is why the method succeeds. A tincture doses heat by the drop, far more precisely than fresh chilli, and keeps for months in a sealed dropper bottle.

How do I get chilli off my hands?

Soap, not water alone. Capsaicin barely dissolves in water, so rinsing spreads it rather than removing it, and it will still be on your fingers hours later. Gloves are easier if you are slicing several, and a separate board keeps it off the next thing you cut.

Can I freeze fresh chillies for cocktails?

Yes. Whole chillies freeze well and can be sliced from frozen for a drink, which saves buying a bag for one recipe. Dried chilli is a different ingredient: drying shifts the flavour towards raisin and smoke, so it is no swap for fresh in a recipe written around fresh.

Make something

Made with Chilli

Featured In These Cocktails

Picante de la Casa Spicy Fifty

Often Used With

Guide by Jerry Can Spirits · Updated 10 October 2026

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