Looking to up the ante on a lunchtime Iced tea or Sunday morning Bloody Mary? Make some hatch chile ice cubes to give a fun kick to any drink.

I rarely drink soda or caffeine which often leaves me with a somewhat boring beverage to consume with lunch.

If I'm out to dinner, I'm not one to call the mixologist over for a creation involving tree bark and foraged sea grass, though I'm not opposed to any of that on my plate.

So you can imagine my delight when I learned of another use for the versatile, and seasonal, hatch chile.

Hatch chile ice cubes.

Yes, ice cubes.

You simply blend some water with the chile.

Then you place the blend in some old fashioned ice cube trays. You remember ice cube trays, right?

Voila, an easy way to spice up any drink.

Throw these fiery chile cubes in to punch up lemonade or ginger ale.

If it's happy hour somewhere, add vodka with some club soda for a refreshing adult beverage with a kick.

For tequila fans, mix it with a squeeze of lime and some crushed mint. As the cube melts, the heat increases, so plan your drinking accordingly.

The possibilities are endless, but the time in which you can purchase your Hatch chiles is not.

The season usually runs for a few weeks around August, so grab some at the grocery store when they're available, and you can always freeze them to get you through the chili-less months.

More details on the chile here and Melissa's Produce has the details on when and where you can get the fresh one's. You can also try them in my hatch chile salsa!

Hatch Chile Ice Cubes

Adapted from Melissa's Hatch Chile Cookbook
Makes one dozen

Ingredients

3 cups water
1 hatch chile, roasted, peeled, stemmed and seeded

Instructions

Place the chile and water in a blender and mix until fully combined.
Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes.
For a clean, clear cube, strain through a sieve or colander before pouring into an ice cube tray and freezing.
Combine cubes with your favorite afternoon drink or evening cocktail.