What is a strawberry bandito?

A strawberry bandito is a jalapeño tequila-based version of a strawberry daiquiri. Instead of rum, a jalapeño infused tequila is used, shaken with frozen strawberry cubes, lime juice, simple syrup, and salt.

• 2 ounces strawberry juice (freeze in ice cube tray)

  • Can use 2/3 cup frozen strawberries & a few ice cubes as a substitute

• 2 ounces jalapeño Tequila

• 1/4 ounce freshly squeezed lime juice

• 1/2 or less simple syrup

• pinch of salt

1. Freeze strawberry juice in an ice cube tray hours before preparation

2. Combine all ingredients into a shaker and shake and shake until the ice cubes are fully melted, with no large particles left.

3. Strain into a martini glass or coupe glass

How to make jalapeño infused tequila

Most hot-pepper infusions are more spice than pepper flavor. If you would like more pepper flavor and less spice remove the veins and seeds from the jalapeño peppers, as the seeds contain capsaicin, the compound that gives peppers its heat.  

Jalapeño infused tequila:

• 1/2 cup jalapeño pepper seeded, deveined and cut into very thin slices 

• 500 ml Blanco tequila 

1. Put slices into a jar with tequila and let sit overnight (12-24 hours)

keys to a great bandito

Here are two keys to making a great bandito from Josh Austin - Certified Specialist of Spirits:

• Make sure the strawberry juice is frozen in the ice cube tray. This allows you to prepare a slushy style drink, without water dilution 

• The frozen strawberry cube will break up easier than a water-based ice cube, creating a delicious cocktail void of blender use. 

Why does this recipe call for a pinch of salt?

Dave Arnold the author of Liquid Intelligence, which is a James Beard Foundation award-winning book, says:

“Salt is the secret ingredient in almost all my cocktails.” 

Dave Arnold recommends that salt be added to any cocktail that includes:

• Fruit (including citrus fruits)

• Chocolate

• Coffee 

Having a drink taste salty is undesirable, which is why only a pinch of salt should be added to your drink, and for more precise measurements you can make a saline solution. 

• In low concentrations, the salt will reduce bitterness, which increases the sweet, sour and umami flavors of food or drink.

• A 20 percent solution is generally used for cocktails. 20 grams of salt are dissolved in 80 milliliters of water. Keep the solution in a dropper vial and add 2 drops per cocktail. 

STRAWBERRY CUBES vs juice

Why should I make frozen strawberry cubes instead of just using juice plus ice??

Balanced cocktails

It’s difficult to make balanced cocktails from juice since the cocktail becomes watered down, once the ice is added. As you shake a drink with traditional ice, the ice well melt roughly the same amount of water, regardless of the amount of ice being used, which will dilute the flavor upon contact. 

Ice made of juice functions differently than regular ice, since juice ice contains sugars, acids, flavors, and water. As you shake the juice ice: 

• The first part to melt - Concentrated sugars, acids, and flavors 

• Delayed melt - Water, which keeps the drink cold 

When shaking juice ice make sure to shake to completion. This means that all the juice cubes should be broken up and completely disintegrated with no cube particles. Frozen juice is softer than frozen water, so the shaking process will be fairly quick, and should take less than a minute.

Jesse is Director of Pedal Chile, which is an all-inclusive mountain bike tour company in “La Patagonia” of Chile. Jesse has a Master of Science in Health and Human Performance and enjoys making delicious cocktails when not riding a mountain bike. 

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Source & References

1. Arnold, D. (2014). Liquid intelligence : the art and science of the perfect cocktail. New York, Ny: W.W. Norton & Company.