Product review: Cholula Hot Sauce (+ a Michelada)

Is it wrong for me to admit that my hands-down favorite thing about Cholula Hot Sauce is the bottles? Or maybe, more specifically, the caps on the bottles.  What is it about those simple wooden caps that makes me want to carry this bottle to the table with me?  Lest you think I'm all about looks, I also enjoy "the flavorful fire" that Cholula offers.  I do think that Cholula is all about the flavor, but I don't personally think that it is very hot.  It has a subtle heat that lies sort of  masked underneath the flavor-burst of the chiles.  While my favorite hot sauce has a more pronounced vinegar-punch, I enjoy having a variety on hand for cases when the vinegar doesn't quite fit.

My premonition was that out of the four flavors- Original, Chili Garlic, Chipotle, and Chili Lime -I would fall in love with Chili Garlic the hardest.  That was almost true.  I wanted it to be true. But somehow Chipotle won my affections.  I wound up shaking a few dashes of Chipotle on anything I could get my hands on...it adds wonderful smoky notes to everything from Tortilla Soup to cheese to Steak & Potato tacos.  And speaking of cheese, I've developed this little habit of grabbing a hunk of cheddar or a quick snack of string cheese and bringing the bottle of Chili Garlic with me wherever I am going to eat them.  A little drop of Cholula per bite and it just lights up.  The kiddos took to loving "mock chicken wings" (breaded breast tenders that were breaded and baked...a play on the boneless wings that are so popular right now) cooked and then coated in a sauce made with Original or Chili Garlic mixed with melted butter and a hit of vinegar.  It's become a well-requested favorite around here, actually.

 Michelada



So, for a blast of flavor without the "hurt", try adding Cholula to any dish...you never know what fantastic flavor combinations you will discover.  For recipes and a chance to win Cholula, visit Cholula on Facebook and join in the flavorful fun.