The Spicy Rebujito is a highball drink made with manzanilla sherry and lemon-lime soda, and flavored with mint and serrano chile. This nutty, tangy, and slightly spicy cocktail is served over ice in a highball glass and garnished with mint sprigs.
A rebujito is a sherry highball that originates from Andalusia, Spain. The drink is typically made with a fresh, dry-style sherry like manzanilla, and lemon-lime soda or sparkling lemonade. Developed by chef Katie Button, chef-owner of Cúrate in Asheville, North Carolina, and 2015 F&W Best New Chef. She riffs on the classic Spanish highball by adding fresh serrano peppers for a bit of heat. “[The serrano’s] clean heat hits you in the palate but doesn’t change the drink’s overall flavor,” she says.
While serrano chile isn’t a traditional inclusion for Rebujito, Button’s riff on the drink is emblematic of her cooking style, which is rooted in Spanish cuisine with American inflections. She likens the chile in this drink to how Americans put hot sauce on just about everything. “And I’m not mad about that,” she says.
Why the Spicy Rebujito works
The Spicy Rebujito maintains a classic 1:3 ratio of alcoholic base to sparkling mixer often employed in highball cocktails. In the Rebujito, sherry serves as the base, providing citrusy, floral, and nutty aromas. A fresher-style sherry like manzanilla plays off the lemon-lime soda here while also adding notes of toasted almonds and white flowers.
Mint is a traditional garnish for a Rebujito, but here Button calls for muddling the mint with the sliced serrano to help release its bright aromas. The mint and the chile lend grassy freshness to this cocktail. The slightly sweet and tangy lemon-lime soda helps temper some of the spice from the chile and livens up this simple drink.