de Mars’s Hot Rooster Sauce

de Mar's Hot Rooster Sauce - Hot Sauce Review

Overview

Maker: de Mar's Hot Sauce

Cost: $6

Ingredients: Hot Peppers, Cider Vinegar, Olive Oil, Garlic, Tomato Paste, *Curry Powder, *Chili Powder, *Cayenne Powder, Black Pepper, Salt, and a touch of *Cane Sugar. ('*' items USDA ORGANIC).

Pepper: Habanero

Type: Medium Heat

Heat Level: Mild Heat

Label

Taste

Heat

Appearance

Aroma

Total Score

3/ 5

User Rating

4 total ratings

Positives

Strong curry & garlic flavor

Negatives

Label confusion

Bottom Line

This sauce is more flavor then heat. While the labeling needs work, don’t let that deter you – this is a sauce that doesn’t follow the conventional hot sauce model and should be celebrated because of that. If you are looking for something outside of the norm, pick up a bottle of this sauce.

Posted November 23, 2015 by Nick Lindauer

Full Review

I’m perplexed by this sauce. The label has a screaming rooster on it in a suit, with a silhouette of Seattle, Washington. Nothing on the label clues you into what the sauce is about – other than the description and ingredient list. At first, with the rooster reference, I was sure that this sauce would be a nod to a sriracha type of sauce.

If you were to read the description on the bottle:

De Mar’s Hot Rooster Sauce is an all natural, gourmet hot sauce with a worldly flavor of heat. Our mission is to share a sauce with the world that is fresh, all natural, and delicious.

Key ingredients include: Fresh Habaneros, Garlic and Organic Curry. We also use an olive oil base that gives the sauce a smooth flavor and makes it excellent to cook with. Just a few drops on your favorite dish will have you screaming: “It’s Cluckin’ Awesome”.

Are you as confused as I was? Is it a habanero sauce? A curry sauce? A sriracha sauce? Some work is definitely needed here, but once you open the bottle the answer is clear – the curry smell hit your olfactory senses with a sharp punch, followed by a mellowing hint of garlic. The habaneros are serving to enhance the fruitiness of the curry.

Initial taste test: First, it was hard to get the sauce out of the bottle. But once I was able to shake some out ala the Heinz Ketchup bottle method I was able to taste the sauce unadulterated. The curry is the first and last thing you taste, with the heat of the habaneros and sharpness of the garlic in the middle. This is a sauce that lingers with you – not because of the heat, but because of the flavor. And that’s a good thing. (Maybe not if your significant other doesn’t like garlic breath).

It’s not very pretty, that’s for sure

On food: I wanted to give this sauce a taste on something basic so as not to mask the flavor too much – so I started with the traditional texas breakfast taco. The sauce dominated the dish – with the garlic and curry following me around until lunch time. The heat was nice and mellow – something that a beginner chilehead would enjoy or anyone that isn’t looking to sweat when they eat.

Overall: This sauce is more flavor then heat. While the labeling needs work, don’t let that deter you – this is a sauce that doesn’t follow the conventional hot sauce model and should be celebrated because of that. If you are looking for something outside of the norm, pick up a bottle of this sauce. I would recommend cooking it into a dish to mellow the curry & garlic flavors – perhaps over roasted vegetables or within a hearty soup.

hot sauce review