“I think hot sauce is akin to drug use,” says Noah Chaimberg, founder of Heatonist, a Brooklyn-based purveyor of small-batch hot sauces from around the world. “You get the rush of endorphins and adrenaline, your blood’s pumping faster, your metabolism goes up. It’s a thrill, and that’s why people get hooked on it.”
Few condiments inspire as much fanaticism as hot sauce. Sure, you get your fair share of utilitarians drenching fish tacos in anything with a Scoville unit. But hot sauce is more than just dressing. Today’s brands each have their own gaggle of acolytes hawking judgment on the lessers — it’s part of hot sauce’s unique appeal. So, fork at the ready, we asked Chaimberg to collect five lesser-known hot sauce bottles with an established or emerging evangelism. Spread the gospel. Cum calor et sapor. Amen.
Secret Aardvark Habanero Hot Sauce
Secret Aardvark is Portland’s so-called “table sauce,” since it’s replaced ketchup in many diners and restaurants of the city. The flavor is a medium-heat blend of habenero and vinegar notes. “We were the first ones to bring Aardvark [to the East Coast],” Chaimberg says. “There’re some sauces you can put it on anything. Aardvark is great for that.”
