Sours · Vodka · IBA official
Soft vanilla and floral elderflower arrive first, then lime and honey, and only on the finish does the chili warm your lips. A thin slice floating on top warns guests what is coming.
1¾ oz
vanilla vodkae.g. Absolut · Smirnoff · Stolichnaya
½ oz
elderflower syrup non-alcoholic syrup
½ oz
lime juice
¼ oz
honey syrup
2 slice
red chili thin slices, seeds removed
Garnish: Thin slice of red chili · Ice: Served up, no ice
Spicy Fifty
Sweet vanilla and elderflower balanced by lime, with a slowly building chili warmth. Medium strength and silky.
The Spicy Fifty is credited to Salvatore Calabrese, the Italian-born bartender who made his name in London's hotel bars and wrote several well-known cocktail books. He created it in the mid-2000s, and the name is usually connected with Fifty, a private members' club in London's St James's where he ran the bar at the time.
The drink reflects the tastes of its decade: flavoured vodka, elderflower and a gentle chili heat, balanced like a classic sour. It shows how a simple template of spirit, citrus and sweetener can carry very different flavours. The IBA lists the Spicy Fifty among its New Era Drinks.
It should be warming, not painful. The heat depends on the chili, so taste as you go.
Yes, but it adds alcohol and usually less sweetness, so add a little more honey syrup.
It is credited to Salvatore Calabrese, who created it in London in the mid-2000s.
The perfect sound
Spicy heat meets modern cool.
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