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The Spicy Martini is just what it sounds like: gin, vermouth and the hot sauce of your choice. You may be worried about drinking hot sauce straight up – and it is pretty intense – but read on.

You see, this drink packs six freakin’ ounces of hard liquor. So while the hot sauce may at first make steam come out of your ears, you won’t be feeling a thing in another minute or two. Seriously, you’re going to want to pace yourself with this drink.

Overhead view of Spicy Martini with chili powder rim

The ingredients here are gin, vermouth, and hot pepper sauce, so it really does taste just like the name implies: like a martini, only very spicy. Now, the preparation on this one calls for you to shake the gin and vermouth together with ice, strain that into the glass, and then drop the pepper sauce straight down into it.Most bars use Tabasco, but I actually prefer the flavor of Tapatío.

You can serve it that way, but I don’t like how it looks – and I figure you’re going to stir it up before you drink it. So I go ahead and do the stirring, and it comes out sort of a warm golden translucent drink.

This is definitely not a drink for people who don’t like spice. It’s going to burn your throat and start a fire in your belly, and you are definitely going to taste the pepper. But if you like spicy cocktails, or spicy foods, this one is worth a try. You can pair this with most any meal you pair with a martini. It’s great with steak, salmon, and dishes that feature garlic as a main flavor.

Spicy Martini cocktail recipe

Name: Spicy Martini cocktail recipe
Prep time: 4 min
Total time: 4 min
Yield: 1
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 5 ounce gin; 1 ounce vermouth; 15 drops Tobasco hot sauce

Yield: 1 drink

Prep Time: 4 minutes

Total Time: 4 minutes

The Spicy Martini is just what it sounds like: gin, vermouth and the hot sauce of your choice. You may be worried about drinking hot sauce straight up - and it is pretty intense - but read on.