The Spicy Fifty recipe
sweet, sour and spicy
Put a martini glass in the freezer for ten minutes or fill it with ice and water.
Cut two thin slices from a red chili pepper. Remove the seeds if you want it less spicy.
Add the chili, vanilla vodka, elderflower syrup, lime juice and honey syrup to a shaker.
Fill the shaker with ice and shake for twelve seconds.
Discard the ice from the glass and double-strain the cocktail into it, so no pieces of pepper or ice get in.
Garnish with a red chili pepper on the rim.
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The story
The Spicy Fifty was created by Salvatore Calabrese, an Italian bartender who built his reputation in London. He devised the drink as a signature cocktail for the first menu of Fifty, a London club that opened in February 2005. That is also where the cocktail gets its name. It was a time when vanilla vodka was fashionable and chilli pepper was making its way from the kitchen to the bar. Calabrese is said to have been inspired by chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten, who gave chilli a starring role in his dishes. The drink became one of his best-known creations, and in 2020 the IBA added it to its official list, in the New Era Drinks category.
The right glass
The IBA specifies a chilled cocktail glass, and the classic martini glass is the obvious choice. The drink goes into the glass without ice, so hold it by the long stem and it will stay cold longer. With approximately 11 cl after shaking, a 19 to 21 cl glass is large enough. The wide rim provides space for the red chilli, and the aromas of vanilla and elderflower reach your nose nicely. View our martini glasses.
RCR Timeless Martini Glass 21 cl (6 pieces)
Onis Spksy Martini Glass 19 cl (6 pieces)
Both sets together € 70,90.
The right tools
For a Spicy Fifty, besides the glass, you’ll need a Boston shaker, a jigger for precise measuring, a cocktail strainer, a fine strainer for double straining and a citrus press. These are the bar tools we use ourselves; you’ll find everything in our bar tools & cocktail sets.
Glassware set (our choice 01) + 5 bar tools together € 186,70.
What do you make a Spicy Fifty with?
For a Spicy Fifty, you need vodka. Popular bottles include Absolut Vanilia and Smirnoff Vanilla. On each drink page, you can read the alcohol percentage, what it tastes like, which cocktails it pairs with, and which glass you need.
Variations & twists
With tequila instead of vodka, you get close to a Spicy Margarita, but with elderflower. Replace the chili with passion fruit and you’ll be close to the Pornstar Martini, another vanilla vodka cocktail from London. For more heat, muddle the chili in the shaker first; for less heat, use one slice without seeds. Without pepper and elderflower, and with lemon, the Lemon Drop Martini is its refreshing cousin.
Serving tip
Place the garnish pepper on the rim and mention that it is for decoration: a whole red pepper is much hotter than the two slices in the drink. Slice the pieces just before shaking, so you get the best aroma and flavor from the pepper.
Good to know
How spicy is a Spicy Fifty
Less than you might think. Two thin slices of red chili pepper provide a warmth that rises at the back of your throat, rather than burning your tongue. How hot it becomes depends on the pepper and on the seeds and ribs, which contain most of the capsaicin. Remove those, and you’ll mainly be left with the pepper’s fruity flavor. Taste a small piece beforehand: supermarket red chili peppers vary considerably in heat. Don’t shake for longer than twelve seconds, because the longer the pepper sits in the shaker, the hotter it becomes.
Which vanilla vodka do you use
Choose a vodka with a distinct vanilla flavor and not too much sugar. Absolut Vanilia and Smirnoff Vanilla are easy to find and work well. You can also make vanilla vodka yourself: split a vanilla pod lengthwise, place it in a 70 cl bottle of regular vodka, and let it infuse for three to five days. Taste it daily and remove the pod once the flavor is right. Homemade vanilla vodka is drier than most store-bought versions, so taste it to see whether you need a little extra honey syrup.
Elderflower syrup and honey syrup
Elderflower syrup, also called elderflower cordial, is a sweet syrup made from elderflowers, sugar, and lemon. You can find it in the supermarket alongside the lemonade syrups. For the honey, the IBA specifies Monin honey syrup. You can also make it yourself: dissolve honey in an equal amount of warm water and let it cool. Pure honey does not dissolve in a cold shaker and sticks to the ice. Homemade honey syrup keeps for a few weeks in a sealed bottle in the refrigerator, and you can also use it in a Bee's Knees.
Why double strain
In the shaker, the chili slices break into small pieces, and you do not want them in your glass. A piece of pepper on your tongue is much hotter than the drink itself. That is why you pour the cocktail through the shaker's strainer and through a fine-mesh strainer at the same time. The fine-mesh strainer also catches ice shards, so the drink reaches the glass clear and smooth and does not dilute as quickly. An 8 cm fine-mesh strainer fits over any glass; see our cocktail strainers.
Spicy Fifty alongside Pornstar Martini and Spicy Margarita
The Pornstar Martini comes from the same city and period, and also uses vanilla vodka. Passion fruit and a glass of bubbles provide the excitement, not pepper. The Spicy Margarita is the best-known spicy cocktail, but revolves around tequila, lime, and jalapeño, and is drier and sharper. The Spicy Fifty sits somewhere in between: sweeter and rounder than the Spicy Margarita, with a warmth that builds gradually. If you like one, the other is a logical next step.
Making Spicy Fifty for a group
For eight glasses, mix 40 cl vanilla vodka, 12 cl elderflower syrup and 8 cl honey syrup in a bottle and refrigerate it. Juice the limes, 12 cl for eight glasses, only an hour beforehand. Keep the chili out of the bottle: in a mixture that sits for a few hours, it becomes increasingly hot. For every two glasses, shake 15 cl of the mixture, 3 cl lime juice and four slices of chili with ice for twelve seconds, then double-strain. This keeps every batch equally spicy.
Frequently asked questions
What is a Spicy Fifty?
A Spicy Fifty is a modern vodka cocktail by Salvatore Calabrese, made with vanilla vodka, elderflower syrup, fresh lime juice, honey syrup and two slices of red chili pepper. It is shaken and double-strained into a chilled martini glass. The name refers to Fifty, the London club for which Calabrese created it.
What is in a Spicy Fifty?
According to the IBA, it contains 5 cl vanilla vodka, 1.5 cl elderflower syrup, 1.5 cl fresh lime juice, 1 cl honey syrup and two thin slices of red chili pepper. Everything goes into the shaker together. A red pepper on the rim is the garnish.
How do you make a Spicy Fifty less spicy?
Remove the seeds and white membranes from the pepper, as they contain most of the heat. Use one slice instead of two and don't shake for longer than twelve seconds. Also taste a piece of your pepper beforehand, because one chili can be much hotter than another.
Which glass do you use for a Spicy Fifty?
A chilled martini glass holding 19 to 21 cl. The drink goes into the glass without ice, so the long stem keeps your hand away from the drink. The wide rim leaves room for the red chili pepper garnish. A coupe also works if you prefer to use one.
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