Friday is upon us once again. That means its time for drinking! This week, we’re working with some leftovers. I have some extra cilantro and jalapeno from earlier in the week. Smart money says add some tequila and you’ve got yourself a drink. I know I have, and it is delicious. However, we’re all about experimentation here, so I thought I’d take inspiration from an old standby:  The whiskey smash.

For this alteration, we’re adding in jalapenos, subbing the mint for cilantro, and keeping the lemon and simple syrup. How bad can it be? Let’s find out

2 oz. Rye whiskey

2 Lemon wedges

Handful of cilantro

3 slices of jalapeno, plus one more for garnish

Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker. Muddle then add ice. Shake and strain into a rocks glass

I opted to leave the seeds in since I wanted a little bit of heat in here. Though you can certainly can remove them if you so desire. As to the rest of the flavor. I like this flavor combination. The cilantro is the first thing you smell when taking a sip. However the actual taste kind of lurks under the flavor profile until the end, when it decides to make its presence known. The jalapeno is just kinda there. Leaving the seeds in didn’t really do much. Though that is the risk you take with jalapenos. Sometimes they’re hot, sometimes they’re lacking in the heat department. I will say the more I sip, the more I start to feel a little burn on my lips, but nothing intense. The lemon is a nice touch, which I thought would play better with the rye than a lime would. Though I am not above trying this with a lime.

So there you go. Instead of mixing these with tequila, try something new and add whiskey instead.

(Banner image found here)