My first celebrity hot sauce. This one was on the popular YouTube show Hot Ones, which might be why this is the most expensive sauce I’ve tried so far.
I’m not really looking to review US sauces but I liked the sound and the look of this one, and when I began my quest for the perfect hot sauce recipe it was those Scotch Bonnet sauces that first stood out for me.
So here I am again, this time with key ingredients of ginger and lemon accompanying the Scotch Bonnet. Lots of sauces use lime juice but I prefer the lemon here. Lemon and ginger is a classic combination in cooking - baking, teas, stir fries, as well as sauces.
It came fairly early in order on the YouTube show, which made me think it would be pretty mild. I guess it is in small doses but it has got a definite kick.
The burn is on the middle and back of the tongue but that’s about it. It’s a good heat. It hits you immediately and you think you’re in for trouble, but it stays around the same heat - it doesn’t build like some sauces do. So you’re safe. The immediate heat hits around a 7 out of 10, but I can see why some stockists call it a 5 out of 10 - after that initial punch it’s not going to build; it’s not going to get worse; you’re going to be okay. For my palate, it hits about the right balance between moreishness and one’s ability to take more. I had about three tablespoons in total for this review and I’m getting to the stage where the sauce is telling me to take a break.
Oddly, just a sip of water is enough to put out the fire. With some sauces and peppers the water seems to spread it and make the heat worse. This seems to be a well-behaved guest. I like it a lot. And in terms of ingredients this is a genuine contender for something I’d like to try to make, maybe with the Khang Starr Lemon Starrburst (if they fruit okay) instead of the Scotch Bonnets.
Oh, and two more things I love: the jaguar on the label and the tiny red flecks in the bright yellow sauce. Works on all levels, this one.
£9 per 150ml / £60 per litre
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