Il Calabrese Recipe

Split the dried Calabrian chilies and remove most seeds if you prefer less heat; keep some seeds for stronger flavor.

Combine sugar and water in a small saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat, stirring until sugar fully dissolves.

Add the chilies to the syrup, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 8–10 minutes to infuse. Taste carefully for heat level after 6–8 minutes.

Remove from heat and let the mixture steep 20–30 minutes off the heat for deeper flavor.

Strain the syrup through a fine-mesh sieve or cheesecloth into a clean jar, pressing gently on solids to extract flavor. Discard solids. Cool to room temperature before using. Refrigerate; syrup keeps 2–3 weeks.

Chill glass

Place a rocks or coupe glass in the freezer or fill with ice water while you prepare the cocktail to chill the glass.

In a cocktail shaker, add mezcal (1 oz), gin (0.5 oz), Yellow Chartreuse (0.5 oz), fresh orange juice (0.75 oz), fresh lime juice (0.25 oz), Calabrian chili syrup (0.25 oz), and 2 dashes of orange bitters.

Fill the shaker with ice (about 6 large cubes), cap it, and shake vigorously for 12–15 seconds until the shaker is very cold and well diluted.

Dump the ice from the chilled glass (if you used ice water) and double-strain the cocktail into the chilled glass using both the shaker strainer and a fine mesh strainer to remove small ice shards and any chili bits.

Express the orange peel over the drink by holding it with the outside facing down and giving it a firm squeeze to release the oils, then rub the rim of the glass with the peel and drop it into the drink as garnish.

If desired, finish with a tiny pinch of dried Calabrian chili flake on top (or a very thin sliver of rehydrated fresh Calabrian chili) to enhance aroma and heat.

Serve immediately.