Peppery Pineapple Soda

I’ll be honest, I don’t like pineapple flavored things. I’d eat an entire pineapple in one sitting if it didn’t ruin my mouth, but once you meander away from fresh it loses some of its tang and gets too sweet for me. The sweetness, however, makes it a fun flavor to mix with spice, which often needs sugar to temper the heat and let the flavor come through. *Enter jalapeño + black pepper*

This pineapple mocktail has heat and fizz that play off of the fruit’s natural sweetness for an non-alcoholic yet elevated sipping experience.

PEPPERY PINEAPPLE SODA MOCKTAIL RECIPE

Ingredients
-1 20 oz can of pineapple rings or chunks
-1 small jalapeño, seeded and sliced thinly (save half of the seeds)
-1/2 tsp of freshly ground black pepper
-1 lime, quartered
-1 can of plain seltzer

•Strain pineapple juice into a jar with a lid. (Save pineapple for a snack or freeze for smoothies.)
•Add jalapeño slices and black pepper to jar. Jalapeños vary in spice, but most of it comes from the seeds. If you like a little extra spice, add a few seeds to the pineapple juice mixture (I started with 5 seeds for a small increase in heat.)
•Close the jar and refrigerate for at least 8 hours.
•Strain pepper pineapple juice into two glasses with ice.
•Squeeze 1 quarter of lime into each glass, top with soda, and serve.