Sweet-n-Spicy Taubasco Sauce §

We were given a bottle of Tabasco® Sweet-n-Spicy hot sauce in a 2013 visit to New Orleans by Bill Jewell, a collector of too-many-to-count hot sauces and husband of my distaff attachment’s cousin Judy. I found it just a little sweet for my taste, but my wife loved it! She finished that small 5-oz bottle soon after arriving back home and then went looking for more in our local stores, but to no avail.

As with its regular sauce, Tabasco® puts the ingredient list right there on the label, so I decided that, since they were kind enough to give me that much, I could try making my own version. I substitute apple juice for its pear juice and omit the corn syrup and “spices.” The result is given below. It, too, won a thumbs-up signal from my wife. It is sized for the original 5-oz bottle.

• 4 oz white vinegar
• 1 tbsp ground cayenne chile
• 2 oz apple juice
• 1 tsp granulated onion powder
• 1 tsp granulated garlic powder
• ½ tsp ground ginger powder
• ½ tsp <salt>
• 1 tbsp <sugar>
• ¼ tsp xanthan gum

Put all ingredients in a blender and buzz for a minute at highest speed. Let the mixture stand a few minutes to settle a bit, then pour it back into the original (but washed) 5-oz container. Place it in a handy place for use. It needs no refrigeration.

To make the 12-oz equivalent, simply multiply the amounts above by a factor of 2.4, thus:

• 9 oz white vinegar
• 2½ tbsp ground cayenne chile
• 5 oz apple juice
• 2½ tsp granulated onion powder
• 2½ tsp granulated garlic powder
• 1¼ tsp ground ginger powder
• 1¼ tsp <salt>
• 2½ tbsp <sugar>
• ½ tsp xanthan gum