Renowned chef Yotam Ottolenghi presents an easy-to-make homemade coffee tequila infusion chock full of cacao, chilies and vanilla. Shutterstock/malinkaphoto

Renowned Israeli-born British chef Yotam Ottolenghi is perhaps one of the best-regarded in the world, known for a handful of acclaimed restaurants throughout London and a string of simply titled hit cookbooks including the likes of Plenty, Jerusalem and Sweet.

Though his face might not be quite as recognizable as the Guy Fieris or the Julia Childs of our time, Ottolenghi’s cookbooks have established themselves as a staple for home cooks and professional chefs alike.

His most famous recipes integrate classically Middle Eastern ingredients like za’atar, saffron and rose water into roasted vegetables, ornate meat dishes and delectable pastries.

Today, we’ll be looking at his beginner-friendly recipe for coffee and cacao-infused tequila. This delicious brew is surprisingly easy to make but admittedly a bit time intensive; you’ll only need 10 minutes to prepare and mix the ingredients, but it’ll take an additional 48 hours to infuse them into your tequila of choice.

This brew makes for an excellent homemade gift during the holiday season, or perhaps, it’s something you’ll want to savor all for yourself. With a shelf life of 2 months, you won’t be forced to guzzle it down all at once.

Without further ado:

Coffee and Cacao-Infused Tequila

Ingredients

• 1 x 750ml Bottle of Tequila Blanco
• 100g Brown Sugar
• 20g Cacao Nibs
• 25g Coffee Beans, lightly crushed
• 1 Vanilla Pod, split lengthways
  • Or 1tsp Vanilla Essence
• 1 Ancho Chili (around 7g)

Directions

1. Pour tequila, brown sugar, cacao nibs, crushed coffee beans and vanilla into a sterilized one-and-a-half liter jar.
   1. To sterilize a jar, submerge it in boiling water for 10 minutes.
2. In a small frying pan over high heat, toast the chili for around 20 seconds, until fragrant. Remove stems and seeds, then add chili to the jar.
3. Screw on the lid tightly and shake well. Let rest in a dark place at room temperature for 48 hours, shaking again twice per day to help further diffuse the flavors.
4. Pour the liquid through a fine-mesh sieve, then return to the jar or original tequila bottle.
5. The infused tequila can be kept for up to 2 months if stored in a cool, dark place such as a cupboard.

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