Found online for $7.95 to $15.95, this particular line from Southwest Specialty Foods has never really caught my attention. I think the fancy bottle and higher then average pricing has always scared me away. Plus I had not idea of the flavor these ‘Pure’ hot sauces packed.

The wife returned from a trip with one of each of the Pure Pepper Sauces: Cayenne, Habanero and Jalapeno. And they were priced with a $11.95 each! Apparently she had no idea how much they were when she took them to the register but was so shocked at the price, she didn’t stop the cashier.

So after giving her a mini lecture on picking out hot sauces, I sat them on my desk for about 2 months. I was a bit busy with a few hundred other hot sauces, but one day I found myself looking for a green sauce. Just a weird craving that struck my taste buds. That’s when I finally opened the Pure Jalapeno.

To open these bottles, you first have to remove the clear plastic stuff from the top of the bottle and then carefully work the cork out. Then and only then will you see the sludge. Undoubtably, this greyish/green sludge formed at the top of the bottle just like any other hot sauce, but I think the cork stopper may have aided to the color change. Or maybe that’s their golden ticket to great flavor.

As I furiously worked a butter knife to remove the sludge, the wife walked in and demanded to know what I was doing.
“Hot Sauce CPR”
“Forget I Asked”

With the sludge gone, I brought the bottle to my nose and the smell of jalapenos was quite evident. The air took on the aroma of canned nacho style jalapenos.

I’ve never been a big fan of green hot sauce. No matter the brand or ingredient list, the heat and flavor of green sauces never lit my fire so to speak.

Lacking the green sauce expertise to choose the best medium, I just went with what was being served: roast beef, potatoes and steamed vegetables. Not something someone normal would eat hot sauce on, green sauce at that.

The pure jalapeno flavor came through and almost took over the entire flavor of the meal (not that that would be a bad thing). The vinegar is a bit much for me in principle but yet I still find myself taking swigs out of the remaining half of the bottle. The Southwest Specialty food crew has created the only bottle of green sauce that I’m willing to finish. Bravo ~