£9.99, down from £12.99, Waitrose, until 3 January Splash out 2007 Château Romanin Les Baux de Provence, L'Etoile de Romanin Spice-scented, juicy and supple Provence red whose vivid dark berry fruit and plum flavours are infused with pepper, olive and herbs.
It was love at first smell when we stumbled upon De Cupere's recent multi-sensory exhibition, complete with a sweat-drenched wall, tear-inducing dome infused with pepper and an instrument called an "olfactiano" that plays smells instead of notes.
This is not the place for a beer, what with Ms. Lofters's carefully concocted drinks like her jalapeño passion martini (vodka infused with peppers, passion fruit purée, heat level modified to taste).
It also goes into a gold rum cocktail infused with black pepper and vanilla bean.
Her next restaurant was a quiet, stylish Indian patisserie where she served puff-pastry samosas and carrot cakes infused with black pepper.
If beluga sturgeon from the Caspian Sea, the king of them all, is paired best with Champagne, then bowfin from the bayou, some of it infused with hot pepper and served deep-fried, might go better with a beer.
I dabbed, inhaled and only then ate, from a bowl with a grapefruit and tarragon salad at the bottom, a grapefruit sorbet above it and, over that, a grapefruit mousse infused with black pepper and ginger.
Half Moon is a casual place, but it pays attention to details. Tables are set with grated Parmesan and two kinds of olive oil (one infused with chili pepper) for diners to create a paste for the excellent bread.
The knock-out flavors include blackberry balsamic vinegar and olive oil infused with red pepper flakes and garlic.
Amok (baked fish with lemongrass, chili and coconut) is the national dish, but sumptuous seafood and fresh fish dishes are plentiful, including Kep crab infused with Kampot pepper.
The bar offers inventive cocktails, like a fiery margarita infused with hot-pepper tequila ($6).
