Ancho Reyes - Original Chilli Liqueur, 70 cl

Product Information

Whether you're a seasoned bartender or a home mixologist, Ancho Reyes is a must-have ingredient in your repertoire. Deep bronze in colour, it has aromas of dried chillies followed by cinnamon spice, cacao and tamarind which lead to an initially sweet palate with moderate heat and a hint of acidity. The spices linger beautifully with subtle flavours of almonds, cacao, tamarind and light herbal notes on the finish. Ancho Reyes Verde liqueur, on the other hand, is made using fresh poblano peppers, resulting in a liqueur that’s lighter and more herbaceous. Its smooth and well-rounded flavour profile is gentle and yielding, featuring a delightful sweetness and smoky aftertaste.

The original is made with late harvest poblano peppers, which are laid out to dry for several weeks until they become smoky, sun-dried ancho chilies. For the Verde, they use early harvested poblano peppers, which are green instead of red. They also fire roast a portion of the peppers to give the liqueur a bright, fresh flavor.After the fun of enjoying a bourbon advent calendar last year, I’m excited to be opening a rum calendar this year. The beauty of these single spirit advent calenders from Drinks by the Dram is that they include a wide range of carefully compiled drams in each one so you can taste the differences between each one – all rums are definitely not equal. Ancho Reyes is a liqueur produced in Puebla City, Mexico since 2013. It is based on a recipe for homemade concoctions (or menjurjes) from 1927 from the same city. The original (red) version of the liqueur is made from Puebla City’s native ancho chiles, which are late harvest poblano peppers that are dried for 2-3 weeks. The Verde (green) version was introduced in 2016 and features early harvested, fire-roasted poblano chiles in addition to the ancho chiles. Both versions of the liqueur are 40% ABV.

While it does have a good amount of heat, it also has a light sweetness and silky texture that balance out the spiciness of the chilies perfectly. I would say it’s no spicier than Sriracha, so you don’t have to worry about burning off your taste buds!One of my all-time favorites is Ancho Reyes, a Mexican liqueur made from dried ancho chiles. Its unique and complex flavor profile has made it a staple in many bars around the world. The closest alternative that’s widely available is likely Giffard Piment D’Espelette, which is a chile liqueur from France with a similar spicy and sweet flavor profile. That said, it’s by no means an ideal substitute since it uses a different type of pepper (Espelette) and contains Rhum Agricole. For the classic version, the chiles are laid to dry in the sun for up to 20 days to develop that signature smokey flavor of ancho chilies, whereas a portion of the green chiles are fire roasted to compliment their bright bold young flavor. Obviously it is a spicy chile liqueur, it says so right on the bottle, but what should you do with it? What does it taste like? And what is the difference between the regular version and the Verde? Whether you are using Ancho Reyes or any other type of alcohol you can start with it as a base, and add ingredients that highlight certain flavor notes of that base.