Fire Ant Juice from Tropical Island Gourmet Co.

Appearance:

The sauce is thick and robust.  Your first clue as to what to expect is that there is no dripper cap which generally means a thicker sauce.  It has a nice crimson color with small pieces of onion and garlic suspended in the sauce.  The floating components are evenly distributed throughout the bottle. Overall, it is very appealing looking.

Label:

Living here in the South where Fire Ants are notorious for taking over yards, biting ankles, and the occasional car jacking, I LOVE this label.  The nuclear fallout giant fire breathing monster ant cracks me up.  Add two little plastic fire ants crawling up the neck of the bottle to finish the look. This is a bottle that would jump out at you when on the shelf and would prompt you to at least pick it up and probably show your friend. 

Aroma:

Immediately across the nose is the smell of tomatoes followed by vinegar and onions.  In fact, it smells a bit more like Salsa than traditional hot sauce. It is an appealing aroma.

Taste:

The tomato and garlic are quick to ride across the tongue followed by a subtle, yet sharp heat.  The heat lingers mainly on the front of the tongue with very little activity toward the back.  In fact, the majority of the flavors reside in the front of the mouth even if you try to move the sauce across the back of your tongue.  As it sits for a second, the garlic and onion start to emerge more strongly along with a solid tomato flavor.  It reminds me of really good salsa with all of the big pieces removed.

Heat Level:

In a grocery store, it would be “Hot”.  I would put it about a 7 on the heat scale.  It is hot enough that you know you had some and the heat lingers for several minutes.  But it is mild enough that I could just put some on a plate of tortilla chips for a snack.

Overall Opinion:

Overall, this is a very good sauce and a welcome edition as something different yet still in the realm of the traditional hot sauce.  It is almost a hybrid of Hot Sauce and Salsa with a good heat and great flavor. The tomato scent and  bits of garlic between your teeth remind you that it is more than just a standard hot sauce.