Arbikie Chilli Vodka

Arbikie Chilli Vodka is made from chipotle chillies grown in… Scotland!

I do love a good chilli (or chili) vodka. I’ve have tasted some excellent ones, too, like these from Infuse Vodka, St George Spirits, and from Cascade Street Distillers in Oregon. I think of chilli vodkas as an American thing, so was very curious indeed to try a new chilli vodka from Arbikie, a distillery based near Arbroath on the east coast of Scotland.

Field to Bottle

Arbikie is known for its field-to-bottle approach, as they not only grow everything on their Highland Estate, they distil their own spirits, too, which is not as common as people think. Surely, though, you can’t grow hot and spicy chipotle chillies in the frequently damp and wet climate of eastern Scotland, which I’ve visited many times? The answer is that you can, as hot peppers only require hot climates if you’re growing them outdoors. Grow them indoors and they’re as easy to grow as tomatoes… except that with chillies it’s recommended you wear gloves!

Arbikie Strawberry Vodka

I’ve already reviewed Arbikie Strawberry Vodka, and if you read that review you’ll learn more about the background to the distillery and the estate, so I won’t repeat it here. That Strawberry Vodka was delicious, creamy and potent at 50% ABV, so this 43% Chilli Vodka was obviously going to be a big contrast.

Chipotle Chilli Vodka

Arbikie’s Chilli Vodka uses just two ingredients. The base spirit is Arbikie’s original potato vodka, Tattie Bogle, which I haven’t yet tried, though potato vodkas are my favourite vodkas as they produce a beautifully smooth taste. The chipotle chillies are then soaked in the vodka, which must be a carefully-timed and finely-balanced process, as you want the result to be spicily hot (otherwise, what’s the point?), but leave it too long and I bet the results are undrinkable without a fire extinguisher to hand.

And that’s it. Arbikie says there are no colourings, no concentrates, no nothing added to their chilli vodka, just vodka and chipotle chillies.

Tasting Arbikie Chilli Vodka

The vodka has a lovely light brown colour, like a younger whisky, and on the nose it has a creaminess, a sweetness, definitely strong on the spices, with a smokiness too, and although it sounds unlikely, for me it also had the aroma of frying bacon… and what a wonderful aroma that is.

There’s no bacon on the palate – probably a good thing! – but this is where the chipotle chillies hit home. They’re not the strongest of chillies, but this is definitely a fiery mouthful. Chipotles are known for their smokiness, so if you like a peaty Islay whisky you should definitely give this a try, but be prepared for the kick at the back of the throat.

For me this wouldn’t be a sipping vodka, certainly not more than one shot at a time, but next night my wife – who’s not big on neat spirits – asked for another glass. Well, they do say chillies are addictive!

Alan Cumming

I was delighted to discover that the great comic actor Alan Cumming is a big fan of Arbikie’s spirits, and especially this Arbikie Chilli Vodka. Here’s a photo of him visiting the distillery.

And here’s a link to a little video he put on his Instagram account. Just click on the still photo to go there.

Alan Cumming talking about Arbikie on Instagram

How to Use Arbikie Chilli Vodka in Cocktails

So, if not for sipping, what would you do with this very distinctive vodka? I asked David Stirling, one of the three brothers who founded Arbikie.

“It’s a spirit which works without fault in a Bloody Mary. The consistency of not having to use fresh chillies is an instant bonus for any bartender,” David told me. “This same advantage can be transferred to any bartenders/cocktails which would be using fresh chilli as their spice. Another string to its bow is making twists on classic cocktails like a Negroni or an Old Fashioned, my favourite being the Sweet Manhattan.”

Sweet Manhattan

50ml Arbikie Chilli Vodka

25ml Sweet vermouth

3 dashes of chocolate bitters

Stir like you would a Manhattan and serve with a Dark Chocolate square

“Mixing with tropical fruits gives another different dimension, something that has been working in world cuisines and is now being adopted by the western palate as well. Fruits such as pineapple, mango, passionfruit, and lychee, to name a few I’ve tried it with. I’m sure there are others that also work.”

25ml Arbikie Chilli Vodka

25ml Arbikie Haar Vodka

25ml Fresh Lime

12.5ml Orgeat

12.5ml Sugar syrup

3 chunks of ripe pineapple

1 egg white

Muddle pineapple, add rest of the ingredients, shake with ice then dry shake (without ice)

Serve in chilled Martini Glass.