Caged Heat Cocktail Syrup

After reading about this cocktail syrup in the Food & Wine section of the San Francisco Chronicle last year, I went to Amazon to order it, but it was out of stock for a long time. When it finally arrived in stock, I added it to my Subscribe & Save subscription and gifted a bottle to my son-in-law for Christmas. He instantly fell in love with it, and has been trying out all the recipes on the Caged Heat website. He has ordered replenishments, and has introduced his best friend to the syrup, and he has ordered it too! The color and label might make you think it's mouth-scolding hot, but it's not. It adds a pleasant tingle to mixed drinks, and is especially good with bourbon or rye whisky.

This stuff if amazing. Hot, sweet, and wonderful. There is a recipe on the bottle that has become a staple in our household:2 parts whiskey1 part syrup1 part lemon juiceMix with ice in a mixer and strain into glasses.A kind of muddy brown cocktail that isn't super pretty, but has a delightful balance of sweet, sour, spicey-hot, and low whiskey base notes.

While you get the heat from the ghost chilies initially, it immediately dissipates if you follow the recipe on the bottle. My guess is that the lemon juice cuts it. This is a one-of-a-kind mixer and I've been through 3 bottles of it in the last 6 months because as soon as I pour one for a friend, they want another.

Love this with my whiskey.

Caged Heat is so great because the heat is powerful but not biting - some of the homemade tinctures at craft cocktail bars are too raw and ones made with jalapeño are too earthy or smoky - they’re really good but not as versatile IMO. I make both margaritas and whiskey sours with Caged Heat - just substitute Caged Heat for the simple syrup--sometimes I rim the glass with colored decorator's sugar (orange or yellow) or chili powder mixed with salt and sugar--just to distinguish this drink from the ordinary. Next I'm going to try putting Caged Heat in my Green Chile Stew - I can never achieve that just-right, smooth-but-spicy, back-of-the-throat heat just from using jalapenos as the recipe calls for--and the advantage is I can just add it at the end so I can have it as spicy as I want without blowing my kids out!!

This product is much to sweet for my palate. It is a very syrupy mix that does add heat but the sugar overpowers the drink, maybe with half the prescribed amount used it might fair better on the taste buds.

Caged Heat is my favorite new addition to make specialty cocktails. Hell, I've never even made "specialty cocktails" before this. I'm a whiskey girl, and there is a recipe right on the label. But my absolute favorite mix is 1 part Caged Heat, 1 part lime juice and 2 parts mezcal poured over ice with a soda splash on top. I've made them at home, brought all the ingredients to parties, given the bottle as host gifts. And now it's the new traditional thanksgiving drink for the 2nd year in a row. It's just the right amount of spicy, sweet and flavorful. Almost everyone who has tried it with the mezcal has asked me where to get it.

It's Phenomenal! Believe me, I was a little dubious at first to try this cocktail mix. Ghost pepper products can be tricky. However, when a dear friend offered to make me a beverage using this mix I could not decline. I liked it so much I drank three more just to confirm my first impression. Sweet with a spicy finish. There is a little heat, but no more than sucking on a red hot candy. Makes a helluvah cocktail. Recommended simple cocktail recipe included on the bottle.