I have already written at length about those generic hot sauce gift sets you find this time of year and suggested that you not give those unless they are a gag gift (more on that here). But if you are looking to give a gift to someone who likes spicy food, you are better off seeking out craft hot sauce sets (like Hoff’s or The Spicy Gnome) or looking for sets from known brands. At least with those, you know you are not giving quality sauces and something that lovers of spicy foods would prefer. Here are a few examples:
Tabasco Products:
Tabasco is a well-known company that has been in business in Louisiana since the 1800s. They make a variety of sauces and there are quite a number of gift sets that you can find on Amazon.com. There are variety sets with multiple sauce flavors and there are also the big bottles as well as the tiny bottles (the latter could make for fun stocking stuffers). Heck, you can just go up to your local store and buy one of each bottle they have and make a fun little gift basket, though searching online will give you a larger selection. Tabasco makes quality sauces and any lover of hot foods would enjoy getting a nice variety of these during the holidays.
Yellowbird Sauces:
Yellowbird is an Austin-based company that makes some pretty darn good sauces that are all-natural and made from chilis they grow themselves. You may be able to find them in your local grocery store (they could be with the hot sauce or the barbeque sauce), but if not, they are widely available online. Amazon offers sets that range from three to five sauces, though be sure to shop the prices because some sellers have the exact same thing cheaper than others. These are highly-rated sauces made right here in the U S of A and should be a perfect gift for someone who likes the heat!
Secret Aardvark Sauces:
This company is another maker of craft hot sauces, and they have gained a lot of attention in recent years because of their quality products. They are located in Portland, Oregon and a portion of the profits from their sauces goes back to supporting their community. They have several flavors to choose from, all of which deliver on the flavor front. The Habanero, Red Scorpion, and Reaper sauces definitely amp up the heat level, but they also have some like the Smoky Chipotle that are on the lower end of the heat scale. If you can’t find these in your local store, or the selection is minimal, Amazon and other online retailers have several sets available.
Dave’s Hot Sauce:
Are you ready to really turn up the heat? Then give the gift of Dave’s. This company puts out what I consider to be the benchmark for the extract-based, insane heat sauces. Dave’s manages to still keep some flavor in the sauces even though just one drop will set your mouth on fire. And if you aren’t looking for something that hot, they even make some milder sauces that are pretty good. But Dave’s is best known for the Insanity sauce and the variations of that which make it even hotter. Most likely, you won’t find many of these at your local store, but Amazon and other online retailers do have quite a selection.
Melinda’s Hot Sauce: These sauces are widely available and you will often find them in discount stores. But these are still good sauces and worth buying. The company is based in Texas, but the sauces are now made in Costa Rica. They have quite a variety from mild (Garlic Sauce) to beyond fiery (Scorpion Pepper Sauce), and these are quite affordable. You can find the sauces in regular bottles as well as squeeze bottle varieties, and it is likely that your local store has several to choose from. But for a fairly extensive selection, check out the offerings at Amazon.