Hot Stuff – Crowley’s Hot Sauce
The good ole, reliable “Great Beast” Aleister Crowley once quipped that the pious pretense that evil does not exist only makes it vague, enormous and menacing.
Harbouring a weak spot for anything hot and spicy, I doubt that the chief had in mind how Jason from Crowley’s Hot Sauce channels his alchemy.
Incepted after a school assigned science experiment with Birdseye chili conducted by his son, a use for the harvest of owner chillies needed to be found and after a bit of calibrated, the first hot sauces were produced.
If I had to define the DNA of what makes Crowley’s Hot Sauces stand out, I’d define it as attention to detail when it comes to meticulous balance of flavours.
Take for example their entry level mild yet rich garlicky emission, which is all about nuanced flavours that make it an ideal condiment for any dishes related to Italian cuisine – be it on the heartier or salad side of things, with not much heat yet just the right amount of spiciness.
Another mild one is Crowley’s minty variant. While mint is usual the antidote to spiciness because of its cooling properties, this sauce creates a nice melange by merging chillies and mint, which results in what could best be describe as zesty and sweet.
Needless to say that this one is made to go with lamb dishes and has served in my house as an ideal base for marinades and for glazing of the Sunday roast.
Crowley’s Seeded Lava might sound like a scorcher, but again it is an expertly balanced Asian style hot sauce, rounding out acids, spices, sugars and salts creating a deliciously warm mouthfeel without any annoying highlights.
Same goes for Cajed Heat, which takes things South of the border to Mexico. Here things get really interesting for me as it is accentuated by a delicate tanginess derived from a mix of Coriander and Cumin, which traverses the chasm between spice and acidity.
Ok – ready to dial things up a notch or two?
Flamin’ Bacon!
Wow – this is by far my favourite. There is a bite because of the Reaper chillies and as I harbour a deep appreciation for anything smoky, the savoury character of this baby won me over instantaneously. I first had it accompanied with a dram of Lagavulin, which had the roof of my mouth celebrate.
Unfortunately, because of recent developments and implications as a result of the Covid-19 malaise, I was able to sample what is touted as Crowley's hottest Hot Sauce, i.e. the Hallucinator with Capsaicin extract that is mixed with Carolina Reapers and Scorpion Chillies with Scoville Heat Units off the scale.
Word around the campfire has that it is hellfire that needs to be administered and handled with a toothpick rather than a spoon, the effects of which will grow with a delay because they light you on fire and leave you scorched. Cannot wait to try, get on that ride and enjoy the endorphin rush.
In a world full of novelty hot sauces, ones that offer a tasty, well calibrated and consistent range are hard to be found but Crowley’s Hot Sauce is certainly one of them, expertly delivering on all fronts of the chilli spectrum.
---
Images from company website
