The Simple Trick To Amplify The Flavors Of Your Spicy Rosé

TikTok has done it again: Its denizens have come up with a new drink recipe that's now, officially, the flavors of summer 2024. Sweet, fizzy, and having a heady spice that'll put your tastebuds into overdrive, if you haven't heard of it before, well, it's high time that you take a look at the spicy rosé.

This drink, first introduced by Allyssa Marshall via her TikTok @Allyssainthekitchen to her 490,000-strong followers in April, combines pink-tinted rosé with jalapeños. If it sounds odd at first, don't worry, you wouldn't be the first to think so. Spiciness is difficult to get right in drinks, that's why other than Bloody Maries and Tabasco-mixed spicy margaritas, there aren't that many drink recipes that make use of this flavor, let alone a drink that combines it with something as delicate as rosé. But trust us, it works.

A spicy rosé is dead simple to make: Pour rosé into a chilled glass and drop a big slice of jalapeño into it. Stir, and ... that's about it, really. No complicated techniques or a ton of ingredients are required. However, it's harder to make a palatable drink than it may seem. Some like their drink so hot they'd break out in sweats, and some just like a mild tingle as they sip their spiced wine. So, to really master spicy rosé, you have to learn how to control the heat from the jalapeño which, fortunately, is surprisingly easy.

The thing about jalapeño (as well as any other chili pepper) is that their heat level will differ depending on how ripe they are. A ripening jalapeño that's still green will have a milder flavor than a bright red fruit that has fully matured. You can use either for your spicy rosé, but if it's the red hot ones that you pick, be careful when you add it to the drink.

Don't rush into drinking your spicy rosé right after adding the jalapeño. If you do, you'll have yourself a mouthful of chili essence the moment you sip it as the capsaicin will still be leaking out of the jalapeño and concentrating near the top of the drink. That may or may not lead to a miserable minute of watery-eyed hacking. Either way, it's not exactly a good first impression or what most people will call a good time.

Instead, here's a pro tip: After adding the jalapeño, give your drink a gentle stir and let it sit for at least five minutes (you can steep it for up to an hour.) This steeping period allows the alcohol to absorb the jalapeño's spicy essence and distribute it evenly throughout the drink. What you'll get afterward is a perfectly balanced spicy rosé where each sip offers just the right amount of kick to keep things interesting without overwhelming your taste buds.

When you cut open a jalapeño, you'll find a bunch of seeds at the core of the fruit. You most likely don't want them floating in your drink. Simply slice out the seeds before adding the chili to your rosé. If you've already added the jalapeño, don't worry — you can always strain the drink to remove any stray seeds.

While the seeds are fair game, don't take the rib out of your jalapeño! That's the white, stringy membranes that run along the inside of the pepper. This is where the majority of the heat-carrying capsaicin of the pepper resides, so if you take them out, you'll be missing out on a lot of the heat that could go into your spicy rosé.

That's presuming you want to get all the heat that you can from your jalapeño. If you'd like your drink to be a light-tasting one without too much spice, you can use a green (less ripe) jalapeño and take out both the seeds and the ribs. That'll keep the spice level nice and easy for you to get a taste of this trend-topping drink without crying your eyes out from the heat.