Start a spicy new holiday tradition by making batches of hot sauce as gifts. (AP Photo/Matthew Mead)Everyone loves hot sauce and this one is simple, beautiful and intensely delicious. It relies on alcohol, whole chilies and spices – and that’s it. The alcohol is what carries the heat. You could use vinegar, but stick to the hard stuff. The alcohol lends a softer flavor to the finished sauce and becomes more balanced as it ages.
Most any distilled spirit will work so long as it isn’t fortified with a lot of sugar (don’t use any liqueurs). Clear liquors (such as vodka, gin, white rum, tequila or even moonshine) are best because they let you see the chilies and spices in the bottle.
The basic recipe is incredibly versatile and it’s easy to put your own spin on it. One recipe calls for silver tequila, whole peppercorns and whole dried chilies. Another has a Caribbean touch by using rum, allspice, cinnamon and chilies, while a more neutral version is made with vodka, dried habaneros, orange peel and whole star anise.
Or make a smoky barbecue hot sauce with dried chipotles, a pinch of dark brown sugar and red pepper flakes. The sky and your spice cabinet are your only limits.
Which dried chilies to use? A mix is nice, but you need to decide for yourself what sort of heat you – or the recipients of your gifts – can handle. Scotch bonnets are a great choice. Ditto for Thai bird. Want to really crank up the heat? Look for dried ghost chilies, supposedly the hottest around.