Yet another South Carolina Hot Sauce

Description from bottle: A Caribbean treasure bursting with fresh mangoes, cumin and curry in a mustard brew. Great on chicken, beef, barbecue, ham, sausage, hot dogs, burgers, seafood, vegetables, macaroni and cheese, deviled eggs, pasta salad and sandwiches.

Ingredients: Mangoes, yellow mustard (distilled vinegar, mustard seed, salt, turmeric, spices), red habanero peppers, distilled vinegar, brown sugar, seasonings, spices, citric acid, xanthan gum & kosher salt.

After reviewing the bottle of Larnyx Lava from Pepper Potions (and finishing it) I wanted to quickly jump into the bottle of Molten Golden. Often I find that some companies pour all their efforts into creating one fabulous sauce and simply add ‘fluffer’ sauces to increase their overall product line. Thankfully, the handcrafted effort that Julie and Riff put into Larynx Lava was also put into Molten Golden.

Interestingly enough, when creating their hot sauces the Riffles accompanied their sauce creation nights with their favorite music. Julie’s favorite band, Athenaeum, was a part of every sauce night. They also found that music by Mike Garrigan, Sister Hazel, and Danielle Howle & the Tantrums was always in the mix. Molten Golden is handcrafted to the tunes of Mike Garrigan. Check out his website and the free MP3 downloads. His music really reflects the island nature of this sauce ~ easy to listen to and very chill.

Smell: Have you ever smelled fresh mustard seed in the wind? This sauce is that scent in a bottle. The mustard burns the hairs in your nose, but the mango balances it out and adds the island feel to the mix.

Straight to the Tongue: Holy moly, there’s a curry party in my mouth. Unlike the thick consistency of Larynx Lava, Molten Golden is smooth and easy to pour, which makes the tongue application that much easier. But weaklings out there can rest at ease, this sauce does not pack much of a heat level punch - more like a basic curry that you find at any good Indian joint.

Field Test #1: The morning bagel - I run this test on pretty much all hot sauces I encounter. Basically I dip my morning bagel into the hot sauce of choice, but unfortunately Molten Golden simply packs too much flavor and not enough heat for this test. Curried bagels are not going to be the latest craze.

Field Test #2: Split Pea Soup - Random choice, but alas this was my choice. The smooth nature and mustard base of Molten Golden really rocked my soup. It blended in perfectly and really added a unique flavor. I couldn’t convince anyone else to give it a whirl, as they had seen me add over half the bottle and the smell of the mustard curry was pretty damn pungent.

Field Test #3:Rice and Beans - Now we’re talking. Some sauces are just made for certain foods (and tunes) and that is certainly the case for the two Palmetto Pepper Potions I’ve encountered so far. Molten Golden can take a simple meal of brown rice and red beans and turn it into an elegant island meal that will have your guest asking how long you spent in the kitchen preparing the spice base.

The smooth and cool nature of Molten Golden is what really makes this an excellent hot sauce, even though it may not be a hot sauce for all occasions. But on the right food, you’ll find that this sauce not only rocks your meal but your taste buds as well.