You are totally right, most Mexican restaurants I’ve tried in Europe are totally worthless and not spicy at all. If you crave some spice kick, you might have better luck with some Thai and Indian places.. But it’s not the same, I guess :)
Yes! We totally do eat Thai, and Indian and whatever other spice we can get our hands on- but as a Chicagoan, I eat so much Mexican food and that is what I really miss. The heat is a little different somehow.
Having grown up in San Diego and now living in the Netherlands, I completely concur on the hotness-level. I’ve taken to making my own hot sauces, buying imported Mexican items, and asking for extra peppers in the restaurant dishes. I miss really good Mexican food!
This looks like a delicious sauce to give a try. Thanks!
By the way, where did you find that cute glass bottle? I’d love to find those here in Europe.
I have some thawed frozen artichoke hearts in my fridge right now that look to be headed to the trash can, so boy, do I relate. That happens to me way too often. Best intentions, eh? But it looks like the third time for this hot sauce was definitely the charm! Maybe the same will hold true for my next box of artichoke hearts??
i really thought i was alone – guilty of buying ingredients for a specific purpose, and then letting them die on the counter or in the fridge. just last night, my husband finally turned the plum tomatoes that i bought 4 weeks ago to make tomato paste, into soup. i’m excited about this hot sauce – it might finally push me to buy a bottle of St-Germain.
Lisa- we got ours at the Oak Park farmers market, but it ended last week. Obviously not the same, but they have them at Whole Foods.
Anna- That bottle has been floating around my kitchen for years. I have seen them at kitchen supply stores and even The Container Store (which is maybe not helpful to you).
If anyone needs to borrow some St. Germain for this, I have a bottle collecting dust… Or I maybe I should just make a bucket of this sauce and give it as holiday gifts! Hmm. I am curious to see how it would taste in a hot sauce, very intriguing.
“Mexican food is like the bloody Holy Grail for you people!” a British friend said to a group of American expats who were complaining for the *umpteenth* time about the lack of Mexican food in London. Yeah, I’d say Mexican food is one of the top ten expat bonding topics.
To be fair, apparently the Kiwis bemoan the lack of good Thai and if you drag a Brit to the States, they miss a “proper curry.”
Guess all regional cuisine has its ethnic counterpart… and nobody does it like they do at home!
OMG I so agree with you. Mexican food/flavors are completely my comfort food. And I’ve gotten desperate enough in both Dublin and Chiang Mai to try Mexican and UGH.
ooh! it’s so pretty. And I do have a bottle of St. Germaine sitting on my counter next to some overripe bananas…I wonder how it would taste without the butter? I am thinking it would keep longer without butter in it?
Hey Ginny, Yes, it would last longer without the butter. The flavor would still be good, we tried. The butter makes it smoother, which is nice. You could even add the butter as you use the sauce.
I’m pretty sure I want to put this on everything. I’m a pepper fanatic, and it looks ridiculously good. Oh, and anything with St. Germain in it is okay in my book.
Oh my, I wish I had some of these right now! I love hot, hot, HOT sauce and absolutely adore St Germain (I even wrote a love letter to it in my blog) so this is right up my alley. A reader forwarded me this recipe (and your wonderful blog), so glad to find this!
I had very strong craving for Mexican when in the Netherlands and it was the most disappointing experience of my life. Yes, natchos can be screwed up big time. I would love to try to make my own hot sauce and I have some thai bird eye chilis from our CSA handy. It probably won’t be like this gorgeous looking sauce, but since I’ve got the ingredients on hand it will be more of a push to give it a try. Though, I have to say I love the sound of St. Germain in this! Nice work.
Can we have more hilarious rap references in food blogging? I love the title. And hot sauce. And Mexican food. And the lovely vivd orange of those peppers.
Hi Helle, The liqueur and vinegar are two of the main ingredients, so substitutions will make this a different hot sauce entirely. I’m note sure why you don’t want to use them, so I am not sure what type of subs to suggest. You could try white wine vinegar in place of the champagne vinegar. You could try a citrus liqueur in place of the St. Germain. Good luck!
It is true, Europe just doesn’t understand Mexican food. Normally this breaks my Mexican-food-loving heart, but it doesn’t seem so bad now that I have a recipe for hot sauce!
This looks great, but I also wonder if you can substitute/out the liquor seeing as I don’t drink and I’m uncertain if the fermentation process sufficiently neutralizes or “cooks out” the alcohol. I’m also looking to just make this a sauce so I wonder if the cornstarch is necessary as well.
Hey Justin- You could certainly try this without the alcohol, but obviously it won’t be the same. That slight floral note of the St. Germain is what makes this special. I don’t have a non-alcoholic substitute to suggest. Also, because of the butter this doesn’t really work as a traditional hot sauce. It has a short fridge life. You might be better off searching around for a sauce recipe that doesn’t have these hurdles to overcome? Good luck!
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Caffettiera says:
November 3rd, 2011 at 10:31 am
You are totally right, most Mexican restaurants I’ve tried in Europe are totally worthless and not spicy at all. If you crave some spice kick, you might have better luck with some Thai and Indian places.. But it’s not the same, I guess :)
Tim says:
November 3rd, 2011 at 10:53 am
Yes! We totally do eat Thai, and Indian and whatever other spice we can get our hands on- but as a Chicagoan, I eat so much Mexican food and that is what I really miss. The heat is a little different somehow.
Anna says:
November 3rd, 2011 at 11:23 am
Having grown up in San Diego and now living in the Netherlands, I completely concur on the hotness-level. I’ve taken to making my own hot sauces, buying imported Mexican items, and asking for extra peppers in the restaurant dishes. I miss really good Mexican food!
This looks like a delicious sauce to give a try. Thanks!
By the way, where did you find that cute glass bottle? I’d love to find those here in Europe.
Louise says:
November 3rd, 2011 at 11:34 am
It’s funny what foods we crave when we travel and the foods we want to duplicate when we get back home.
I love the color of this sauce. I had it bookmarked but haven’t made it yet. Sounds like it will be a good one for this winter.
Marcia says:
November 3rd, 2011 at 11:47 am
I have some thawed frozen artichoke hearts in my fridge right now that look to be headed to the trash can, so boy, do I relate. That happens to me way too often. Best intentions, eh? But it looks like the third time for this hot sauce was definitely the charm! Maybe the same will hold true for my next box of artichoke hearts??
Lisa says:
November 3rd, 2011 at 11:53 am
Which farmers market were you able to score the habaneros? I’m looking to make my own hot sauce this weekend.
Thanks,
Lisa in Chicago
brooke says:
November 3rd, 2011 at 12:03 pm
i really thought i was alone – guilty of buying ingredients for a specific purpose, and then letting them die on the counter or in the fridge. just last night, my husband finally turned the plum tomatoes that i bought 4 weeks ago to make tomato paste, into soup. i’m excited about this hot sauce – it might finally push me to buy a bottle of St-Germain.
Marlena says:
November 3rd, 2011 at 1:16 pm
I’m always nervous when “put on gloves” is used in a recipe. Looks amazing.
Tim says:
November 3rd, 2011 at 1:28 pm
Lisa- we got ours at the Oak Park farmers market, but it ended last week. Obviously not the same, but they have them at Whole Foods.
Anna- That bottle has been floating around my kitchen for years. I have seen them at kitchen supply stores and even The Container Store (which is maybe not helpful to you).
noelle {simmer down!} says:
November 3rd, 2011 at 2:09 pm
If anyone needs to borrow some St. Germain for this, I have a bottle collecting dust… Or I maybe I should just make a bucket of this sauce and give it as holiday gifts! Hmm. I am curious to see how it would taste in a hot sauce, very intriguing.
Brandon @ Kitchen Konfidence says:
November 3rd, 2011 at 2:43 pm
Habanero + St. Germain?! Sounds like an amazing combination. I am definitely giving this a try.
I spent some time in Germany and I remember that I could not find a decent Mexican restaurant.
Ms. Noziskova says:
November 3rd, 2011 at 4:19 pm
“Mexican food is like the bloody Holy Grail for you people!” a British friend said to a group of American expats who were complaining for the *umpteenth* time about the lack of Mexican food in London. Yeah, I’d say Mexican food is one of the top ten expat bonding topics.
To be fair, apparently the Kiwis bemoan the lack of good Thai and if you drag a Brit to the States, they miss a “proper curry.”
Guess all regional cuisine has its ethnic counterpart… and nobody does it like they do at home!
Laura says:
November 3rd, 2011 at 9:39 pm
OMG I so agree with you. Mexican food/flavors are completely my comfort food. And I’ve gotten desperate enough in both Dublin and Chiang Mai to try Mexican and UGH.
ginny lee says:
November 4th, 2011 at 5:05 am
ooh! it’s so pretty. And I do have a bottle of St. Germaine sitting on my counter next to some overripe bananas…I wonder how it would taste without the butter? I am thinking it would keep longer without butter in it?
Tim says:
November 4th, 2011 at 5:51 am
Hey Ginny, Yes, it would last longer without the butter. The flavor would still be good, we tried. The butter makes it smoother, which is nice. You could even add the butter as you use the sauce.
elly {elly says opa} says:
November 7th, 2011 at 9:45 pm
I’m pretty sure I want to put this on everything. I’m a pepper fanatic, and it looks ridiculously good. Oh, and anything with St. Germain in it is okay in my book.
NicoleD says:
November 8th, 2011 at 2:44 pm
How could one not fall in love with that color? I was gifted several habaneros from a friend’s garden and I was not sure how to use them, but now….!
Bianca @ Confessions of a Chocoholic says:
November 8th, 2011 at 6:49 pm
Oh my, I wish I had some of these right now! I love hot, hot, HOT sauce and absolutely adore St Germain (I even wrote a love letter to it in my blog) so this is right up my alley. A reader forwarded me this recipe (and your wonderful blog), so glad to find this!
kickpleat says:
November 10th, 2011 at 1:40 pm
I had very strong craving for Mexican when in the Netherlands and it was the most disappointing experience of my life. Yes, natchos can be screwed up big time. I would love to try to make my own hot sauce and I have some thai bird eye chilis from our CSA handy. It probably won’t be like this gorgeous looking sauce, but since I’ve got the ingredients on hand it will be more of a push to give it a try. Though, I have to say I love the sound of St. Germain in this! Nice work.
Kimberley says:
November 12th, 2011 at 1:47 am
Can we have more hilarious rap references in food blogging? I love the title. And hot sauce. And Mexican food. And the lovely vivd orange of those peppers.
Helle says:
November 12th, 2011 at 4:42 am
I would love to make this, just without the liqueur and Champagne vinegar. What can I use insted?
Tim says:
November 12th, 2011 at 9:35 am
Hi Helle, The liqueur and vinegar are two of the main ingredients, so substitutions will make this a different hot sauce entirely. I’m note sure why you don’t want to use them, so I am not sure what type of subs to suggest. You could try white wine vinegar in place of the champagne vinegar. You could try a citrus liqueur in place of the St. Germain. Good luck!
Deena@StayatHomeFOODIE says:
November 13th, 2011 at 8:55 pm
Homemade hot sauce?
Sounds amazing!
Shelley says:
November 14th, 2011 at 10:14 pm
As a Texas writer, I know this kind of cuisine is mother’s milk to us.
Fire-breathing hot milk, but mother’s milk!
Sasha says:
November 15th, 2011 at 12:16 pm
It is true, Europe just doesn’t understand Mexican food. Normally this breaks my Mexican-food-loving heart, but it doesn’t seem so bad now that I have a recipe for hot sauce!
Justin says:
October 24th, 2012 at 9:27 am
This looks great, but I also wonder if you can substitute/out the liquor seeing as I don’t drink and I’m uncertain if the fermentation process sufficiently neutralizes or “cooks out” the alcohol. I’m also looking to just make this a sauce so I wonder if the cornstarch is necessary as well.
Thanks!
Tim says:
October 24th, 2012 at 10:05 am
Hey Justin- You could certainly try this without the alcohol, but obviously it won’t be the same. That slight floral note of the St. Germain is what makes this special. I don’t have a non-alcoholic substitute to suggest. Also, because of the butter this doesn’t really work as a traditional hot sauce. It has a short fridge life. You might be better off searching around for a sauce recipe that doesn’t have these hurdles to overcome? Good luck!