This is the drink you serve when you want people to ask questions.
Green Ghost is sweet, smoky, citrusy, and entirely its own thing. It starts with pineapple and agave, punches in with mezcal and tequila, and finishes with a clean vegetal snap from green bell pepper. It’s tropical. It’s savory. It’s a little weird—and that’s the point.
Why Green Bell Pepper Belongs in Cocktails
Most people overlook bell pepper as a cocktail ingredient, but they’re missing out. Green bell peppers are crisp, lightly bitter, and herbal enough to hang with big flavors.
In the Green Ghost, the bell pepper adds a vegetal backbone that keeps the pineapple and blue curaçao from going full tiki. It doesn’t scream for attention—it just makes everything else taste sharper and more alive.
How to Make a Green Bell Pepper Cocktail at Home
You don’t need a juicer or a dehydrator to pull this off. Just grab a fresh bell pepper, slice a couple thin strips, and let the muddler do the work.
Here’s how to build the Green Ghost from scratch:
Ingredients:
- 2 oz blanco tequila
- 0.5 oz mezcal
- 1 oz pineapple juice
- 0.5 oz lemon juice
- 0.5 oz agave syrup
- 0.25 oz blue curaçao
- 3 dashes orange bitters
- 2 thin slices green bell pepper
- Ice
Instructions:
- Muddle the bell pepper with agave syrup in a shaker.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and ice.
- Shake hard until the shaker frosts over.
- Double strain into a chilled coupe or a rocks glass over ice.
- Garnish with a green pepper strip or a charred pineapple wedge.
The color ends up somewhere between neon green and seafoam. Don’t question it—just enjoy it.
Tequila and Mezcal Cocktails That Use Vegetables
If you’re into cocktails with complexity, combining tequila and mezcal with a vegetable-based ingredient like bell pepper opens up a whole new layer of flavor.
Tequila brings brightness. Mezcal brings smoke. Bell pepper brings freshness and just the right hint of bitterness. Together, they make a drink that doesn’t need a salted rim or sugared glass to impress.
Vegetable-Based Cocktails That Actually Taste Good
Let’s be clear: this is not a salad in a glass.
There’s no tomato juice. No kale. No spinach. Just a clever balance of fruit, citrus, smoke, and green bell pepper doing what it does best—cutting through the sweetness and making things interesting.
If you’re looking for a vegetable cocktail recipe that doesn’t taste like punishment, Green Ghost delivers.
Why Green Ghost Is the Best Cocktail to Make with Bell Pepper
This cocktail works because it leans into contrast. It’s smoky but sweet. Bright but grounded. Familiar but totally different.
It’s for the home bartender who’s ready to move past the basics and experiment with something bold—without needing to buy any obscure syrups or bitters off Etsy.
Final Thoughts on This Mezcal and Green Bell Pepper Drink
The Green Ghost is a conversation starter. It’s a dare you’ll want to take again. And it proves that vegetables—especially bell peppers—deserve more respect in mixology.
Make it. Serve it. Then get ready to tell people what’s in it, because they’ll absolutely ask.