Gringo Bandito hot sauce was first started in 2004, by the Offspring front man, Dexter Holland as more of a hobby than a business. Dexter thought it would be cool to have a hot sauce and gifted the first batch as Christmas presents to his friends and family. He didn’t expect the response to be so overwhelming and soon after he made the decision to put it on the shelves. It was first sold in California where Dexter is from, but now is distributed globally. Check it out!
Some awesome facts
- Contains 70% less salt than other major brands
- No preservatives
- Gluten Free
- All natural
- Paleo friendly
Original (released in 2004): Habanero, Jalapeno, and red Japanese chili peppers bring nice heat and flavor. Nothing is worse than a hot sauce that just burns without having anything else to it. Delicious!
Super Hot (released on Cinco de Mayo, 2015): Burn it up! Scorpion chili and ghost peppers are the main ingredient in this concoction. It burns, but still has that delicious vinegar base with layers of heat.
Green (released in 2013): My favorite! Nice flavor with mild heat. Made with habanero and serrano peppers, this green sauce raises temps and still has a tangy, sour vinegar taste.
To be honest, I didn’t know what to expect. What did the lead singer of the Offspring know about hot sauce? Turns out, I was really impressed! It has a really good flavor and a nice level of heat. Each sauce is different and you can really taste the difference between the original hot, super hot, and green. These hot sauces are the perfect condiment to spice up a boring dish or take an already flavorful meal to the next level. They add the perfect kick of spice without taking away from the food. I dressed up some tacos and also added them to my morning eggs and both were delicious!
I really liked the consistency, it wasn’t thin or watered down. You could taste every pepper that was blended, pureed, and bottled to make each sauce. It wasn’t thick and was exactly how a hot sauce should be: spicy, vibrant, and the perfect consistency.
Be out on patrol for a new taco seasoning expected to be released anytime (early 2017) and the release of the annual private reserve hot sauce expected in late November which features unique packaging and a flavor profile that changes each year.
Gringo Bandito can be found at Kroger, Whole Foods, Albertsons/Safeway and is served at Chronic Tacos and Wahoo’s restaurants. Gringo Bandito is also rated among the top 10 hot sauces on Amazon.com.
Great job, Dexter! Thanks for sharing your hot sauce with me. I’ll be waiting for the release of the taco seasoning and the private reserve hot sauce.
The Bite Tonight 