A cozy cabin like this, with the chimney on top, make me think of a warm fire blazing on a cold winter night. I’d reach for a old fashioned or hot toddy to accompany such a puzzle. But it’s warming up in these parts, and a seasonable summer drink sounds much more appealing. What kind of fire could we have right now? How about the kind brought on by a jalapeño in a spicy summer cocktail? Now we’re talking.

Andra “AJ” Johnson is Washington, D.C.’s ambassador of diversity in the hospitality and beverage industry of late. She is the managing partner and bar director at Serenata, a popular Latin American cocktail bar inside the La Cosecha Market at Union Square. She relates how in 2018, looking at her city’s recent top 100 restaurants, there were only two black-owned spots on the list, and none on any list from the prior ten years. She set out to change that and decided she would own her own restaurant by the time she turned thirty. She accomplished it, and went on to cofound D.C.’s Black Restaurant Week as well. Her cocktail “Light My Fire” uses a jalapeno infused coconut and cucumber syrup to balance and adjust the chile’s heat while bringing incredibly refreshing summer flavors to the mix. The syrup is so delicious I’ll be using it up pretty quickly, making more of this drink and other variations. The cocktail is essentially a complex margarita, making it a perfect summer drink, although it’s hard to recognize. The Campari float adds a bright pop of flavor as you finish the drink too, and such a vibrant color you’ll want to admire your drink as much as consume it. Fire one up for yourself. Cheers!

Light My Fire by Andra “AJ” Johnson

2 oz blanco tequila

1 oz jalapeno-cucumber coconut water syrup*

¾ oz lemon

½ oz yellow Chartreuse

¼ oz Campari float

*for the syrup, combine 18 oz each of sugar and coconut water to combine in a saucepan. Heat with two cored and seeded jalapenos, plus the seeds from one. After simmering for a few minutes, cool and strain. Once chilled, blend with half a cucumber and strain again for the final syrup. These are the specific instructions provided by Johnson, but I made a smaller and simpler batch of just coconut water – cucumber syrup, and added a few dashes of chili pepper tincture (Bittermen’s Habanero Hellfire Bitters) to my drink for the heat.

Shake first four ingredients with ice and strain into a favorite glass. Float the Campari (it may sink to the bottom as well). Garnish with a lemon wheel and cucumber flame.