If you like alla vodka, you’ll love alla mezcal. In the classic vodka version, the ethanol in the alcohol is used as an emulsifier in the sauce but doesn’t really add any flavor. Since more flavor is more better, I decided to try swapping out my favorite adult beverage, and the result was a smoky take on the Italian American classic. This creamy marinara sauce is great tossed with any dried pasta for a quick and easy weeknight dinner that will leave you thinking, “Why didn’t anyone try this sooner?”

With a colloquial name like chicken riggies (short for rigatoni), this regionally famous pasta dish is the epitome of “if you know, you know.” But in case you don’t: It’s as if a creamy tomato vodka sauce had a spunkier cousin, boosted by the zing of pickled hot cherry peppers.

It’s an Italian American hybrid dish with origins in the “Littler” Italys of central and upstate New York. In the early 20th century, small Rust Belt cities like Utica and Rome were home to a large wave of immigrants who created new-age renditions of familiar dishes such as chicken riggies, Utica greens, and tomato pie in their homes and restaurants.

Today the pasta is a comforting regional favorite for serving at everything from festivals to funerals in the upper stretch of New York State. The obsession is real: At the annual Riggies Run in Utica, runners are challenged to stop mid-race and scarf down a serving.

This recipe sticks with a blend of fresh mini sweet peppers and jarred hot cherry peppers (look for jars labeled “hot cherry peppers” from brands like Cento, Mezzetta, B&G, or Jeff’s Garden; if sliced are unavailable, use whole and slice them yourself), but feel free to take after some upstate New Yorkers and add sautéed mushrooms or olives to the mix.