Breathe some fire with this Prarie Fire Shot

It was an easy-going evening out with friends, then it hit me. Suddenly my throat felt as if it was set on fire. I begin scanning my surroundings for any assistance and I only see my so-called group of friends pointing, and laughing. Eventually the pain begins to subside and I too begin to chuckle as I had been had. The Prarie Fire scorches another victim.

Be it salt in the sugar bowl, shaving cream in a slipper or hot sauce in your shot glass, practical jokes are great fun; in the right situations of course. The Prarie Fire has several versions, not surprising considering its global appeal. Throughout most of North America a Prarie Fire consists of vodka and hot sauce, exact measurements are up to the bartender. There is also a version creeping up from Mexico involving tequila and hot sauce.

When it comes to heat most people fall into one of two categories; love it or hate it. Measured by Scoville units, the hot pepper heat is comes from capsaicin. Capsaicin is a fat-soluble compound and this is why milk or butter works so well to cut through the heat as opposed to water. It has also been documented that the body may release endorphins (the feel-good hormones) to counter act the effects of hot peppers. Reasons and rationale be damned, hot sauce and hot peppers are here to stay.

As with anything to do with food and drink playing around with the recipes and attempting several variations seems to just be human nature. A few observations from an evening I am going to call, research, I uncovered a couple of points of interest. With a good quality vodka and scaling back the hot sauce you can achieve a sweet and spicy balance that is almost attractive. The tequila version of the shot does not come across as strong with a reposado tequila (one that has been wood aged). Feel free to have your own fun and create your own custom blends.

When talking shots it seems pertinent to always mention moderation, however if you are going with this shot, it seems to have its own measures against overindulgence.