If you're looking to spice up your cocktail life, then you've certainly arrived in the right place: the world of Ancho Reyes cocktails. Today's the last day you eye that bottle on the shelf, and the day you break out your shaker, some ice, and open the Ancho Reyes for a sweet and spicy cocktail game changer.
What Is Ancho Reyes?
Ancho Reyes is a chile herbal liqueur, and the distillery in Mexico City uses a recipe from 1927 to craft this modern-day spicy spirit using poblano chiles macerated in alcohol. Ancho Reyes is spicy but sweet with the ideal, dreamy balance. With notes of cinnamon, vanilla, and tobacco, you'll find sweet caramel and hot chili spice woven between to bring it all together and straight to a 5-star review from your tastebuds. You can use Ancho Reyes in whiskey, rum, and tequila cocktails - such as old-fashioneds, rum punches, and palomas.
Ancho Reyes Old-Fashioned
Whether you're an old-fashioned purist, explorer, or lover of a drink that doesn't appear as it seems, this sweetly spiced old-fashioned brings the heat without overwhelming the palate.
Ingredients
- 1½ ounces reposado tequila
- ¾ ounce Ancho Reyes
- ¾ ounce simple syrup
- 2-3 dashes orange bitters
- 1-2 dashes aromatic bitters
- Ice
- Orange peel for garnish
Instructions
- In a mixing glass, add ice, tequila, Ancho Reyes, simple syrup, and bitters.
- Stir rapidly to chill.
- Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice.
- Garnish with an orange peel.
Ancho Reyes Mule
Take a walk on the crisp, spicy, spiced, and gorgeously thirst-quenching side with spicy mule.
Ingredients
- 1 ounce vodka
- 1 ounce Ancho Reyes
- ½ ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
- Ice
- Ginger beer to top off
- Cucumber wheel for garnish
Instructions
- In a copper mug or rocks glass, add ice, vodka, Ancho Reyes, and lime juice.
- Stir to mix.
- Top off with ginger beer.
- Garnish with a cucumber wheel.
Quick Tip
If you want to take your mule to the next level of spice, skip the vodka and use only Ancho Reyes.
Ancho Reyes Daiquiri
The daiquiri is the symbol of summer, beach days, sand, and possibly Hemingway scribbling away in a corner. With a touch of Ancho Reyes, the daiquiri becomes a whole new ballgame.
Ingredients
- 1½ ounces Ancho Reyes
- ¾ ounce silver rum
- 1 ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
- ¾ ounce demerara syrup
- Ice
- Lime wheel for garnish
Instructions
- Chill a martini glass or coupe.
- In a cocktail shaker, add ice, Ancho Reyes, light rum, lime juice, and demerara syrup.
- Shake to chill.
- Strain into the chilled glass.
- Garnish with a lime wheel.
Ancho Reyes Margarita
The Ancho Reyes margarita is the perfect marg for when you want something spicy but don't want to curl up with a bottle of Pepto later. We see you.
Ingredients
- Lime wedge and salt
- 1 ounce silver tequila
- 1 ounce Ancho Reyes
- 1 ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
- ¾ ounce agave nectar
- ½ ounce orange liqueur
- Ice
- Orange wheel for garnish
Instructions
- To prepare rim, rub the rim of the glass with the lime wedge.
- With the salt on a saucer, dip either half or the entire rim of the glass in the salt to coat.
- In a cocktail shaker, add ice, tequila, Ancho Reyes, lime juice, agave syrup, and orange liqueur.
- Shake to chill.
- Strain into the prepared glass.
- Garnish with a lime wheel.
Bee Sting
Far less painful than a sting you'd receive when you admired those beautiful flowers a little too closely in the garden, a bee sting cocktail is a bee's knees with the perfect amount of bite. You can leave the tweezers in the drawer.
Ingredients
- 1½ ounces silver tequila
- ¾ ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ¾ ounce Ancho Reyes
- ½ ounce honey syrup
- Ice
- Dehydrated lemon wheel for garnish
Instructions
- Chill a martini glass or coupe.
- In a cocktail shaker, add ice, tequila, lemon juice, Ancho Reyes, and honey syrup.
- Shake to chill.
- Strain into the chilled glass.
- Garnish with a dehydrated lemon wheel.
Need to Know
Ancho Reyes Negroni
The spicy negroni: for when you want something a little different, but you can't imagine an evening without your usual bitter cocktail.
Ingredients
- 1 ounce Ancho Reyes
- 1 ounce Campari
- 1 ounce mezcal
- Ice
- Orange peel for garnish
Instructions
- In a mixing glass, add ice, Ancho Reyes, Campari, and mezcal.
- Stir rapidly to chill.
- Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice.
- Garnish with an orange peel.
Ancho Reyes Hot Chocolate
Sip something doubly warm: mix up your hot chocolate with a little tequila and some Ancho Reyes. Skip the tequila completely for a spicy hot chocolate that isn't so boozy.
Ancho Reyes Chili Manhattan
Halfway through your Manhattan, sometimes you find yourself wishing you'd gone for something a little more adventurous. The solution? Ancho Reyes, baby.
Ingredients
- 1½ ounces rye whiskey
- 1 ounce sweet vermouth
- ½ ounce Ancho Reyes
- 1-2 dashes aromatic bitters
- Ice
- Cocktail cherry for garnish
Instructions
- Chill a martini glass or coupe.
- In a mixing glass, add ice, rye, sweet vermouth, Ancho Reyes, and bitters.
- Stir rapidly to chill.
- Strain into the chilled glass.
- Garnish with a cocktail cherry.
Lava Good Glass of Lemonade
Sweet, sour, spicy. Oh, you wanted to know more? Lemonade meets heat for a spicy chili drink that won't make you sweat.
Ingredients
- 1 ounce white rum OR vodka
- 1 ounce Ancho Reyes
- 4 ounces lemonade
- Ice
- Lemon slice for garnish
Instructions
- In a cocktail shaker, add ice, rum, Ancho Reyes, and lemonade.
- Shake to chill.
- Pour, do not strain, into a rocks glass.
- Garnish with a lemon slice.
READ MORE: 20 Spicy Cocktails That Bring the Heat
A Chile Walks Into an Espresso Martini
Add a whisper of sweet heat to your espresso martini for a cocktail that will not only wake you up, but it'll add a little pep to your step, too.
Ingredients
- 1 ounce bourbon
- ½ ounce coffee liqueur
- ½ ounce Ancho Reyes
- 1 ounce espresso
- ¼ ounce simple syrup
- 1-2 dashes cinnamon bitters
- Ice
- Three whole coffee beans for garnish
Instructions
- Chill a martini glass or coupe.
- In a cocktail shaker, add ice, bourbon, coffee liqueur, Ancho Reyes, espresso, simple syrup, and bitters.
- Shake to chill.
- Strain into the chilled glass.
- Garnish with three whole coffee beans.
Ancho Reyes Verde Gimlet
Gin and spice don't usually go hand in hand. But this spicy cucumber gimlet? This ignores all the usual guidelines. It pairs well with the 1997 classic, "Breaking All the Rules" by Shoe Moves.
Ingredients
- 2-3 cucumber slices
- 1½ ounces cucumber-infused gin
- 1 ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
- ¾ ounce Ancho Reyes
- ½ ounce simple syrup
- Ice
- Basil sprig for garnish
Instructions
- In a cocktail shaker, muddle the cucumber slices with simple syrup.
- Add ice, cucumber gin, lime juice, and Ancho Reyes.
- Shake to chill.
- Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice.
- Garnish with a basil sprig.
The Big Chili Theory
The only theory you'll be discussing after this is how this cocktail manages to squeeze so many flavors into every single last sip.
Ingredients
- 1½ ounces tequila
- ¾ ounce Ancho Reyes
- 3 ounces watermelon juice
- ½ ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ½ ounce simple syrup
- Ice
- Watermelon wedge and mint sprig for garnish
Instructions
- In a cocktail shaker, add ice, tequila, Ancho Reyes, watermelon juice, lemon juice, and simple syrup.
- Shake to chill.
- Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice.
- Garnish with a mint sprig and watermelon wedge.
Perfecting Ancho Reyes Cocktails
Sip, savor, and enjoy the spice of Ancho Reyes. Whether you're new to this chili liqueur or you're looking for a new way to use your favorite cocktail ingredient, there's a world of ways to sharpen your spicy cocktail skills with this spirit. The next time someone asks if you can take the heat, let them know you sure can.
