Red Alert
This strawberry drink is made even more delicious by the crazy pyrotechnical addition of charred red bell pepper. Just slap the peppers on a grill or straight on the burner of your stove and they’ll char and get smoky sweet. Grab a paper towel and clean all that ash off (OK, not all but most will do). It’s like making salsa: You don’t have to roast it, but when you do it’s so much better. The ancho syrup enhances the smoky and brings the sweet. You’re going to love this.
Roast the red pepper by placing it directly on a hot grill, on a stove’s gas burner or under a broiler. Use a pair of tongs to turn the pepper until all sides are completely blackened. Put the charred pepper into a bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. The skin will loosen as the pepper steams. Once the pepper has cooled, remove the blackened skin, slice the pepper to open it and remove and discard stem, seeds and membranes.
In a blender, combine the roasted pepper, strawberries, 16 ounces (2 cups) water, the lime juice and ancho simple syrup and blend until smooth, 30 to 45 seconds.
Strain the juice through a fine-mesh sieve into a large container or pitcher (discard any solids). Cover and refrigerate the juice until ready for use.
To serve, give the mixture a gentle stir, pour into ice-filled rocks glasses and garnish each with a strawberry slice.
Ancho Simple Syrup
In a medium pot, bring 16 ounces (2 cups) water to a boil. Remove from the heat, add the ancho powder and let steep for 10 minutes. Add the sugar and stir until it dissolves. Transfer the syrup to a clean bottle or airtight container and store in the refrigerator until ready to use.
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