Gindo’s Spice of Life – Vampire Slayer

Bitter: ⭐✰✰✰✰

Salty: ⭐⭐✰✰✰

Sour: ⭐⭐✰✰✰

Sweet: ⭐✰✰✰✰

Umami: ⭐⭐✰✰✰

Heat: ⭐⭐⭐⭐✰✰✰✰✰✰

Quick Flavor Notes: Garlic, green onions, vegetal

Texture: Medium with garlic and small pepper bits

Recommended: Yes

Ingredients: Red Bell Pepper, Distilled Vinegar, Water, Chili Pepper Blend (Carolina Reaper, Ghost, and Scorpion Peppers), Garlic, Habanero Pepper, Sea Salt, Organic Can Sugar, Green Onion, Spices, Xanthan Gum

I’ve been a fan of Gindo’s hot sauce from the moment I tasted my first sauce from them. Previous to this I’ve mainly sampled their special collaboration and limited release sauces, so this is my first time trying a sauce from their “core” lineup which comes in larger 8 fluid ounce squared off bottles. I love garlic hot sauces and I was also intrigued by the name, being a big Buffy the Vampire Slayer fan (as well as a fan of all of Joss Whedon’s work) so was excited to open this one up.

Gindo’s Spice of Life Vampire Slayer features a trio of the world’s hottest chiles – reapers, scorpion peppers, and ghost peppers plus habaneros for good measure. In fitting with the name there’s fresh garlic, and a good bit of it, as well as habanero peppers. Like many Gindo’s sauces this has a red bell pepper base but unlike many this doesn’t contain their complex blend of artisanal salts, opting for just sea salt instead. Green onions and some unnamed spices also make an appearance. The garlic comes through in the aroma but I didn’t get a strong whiff of that acrid super-hot pepper aroma. This sauce is medium in consistency and while not chunky it does have some small bits of pepper and garlic in the mix. It flows easily.

With the trio of the super-hot chiles on both the front of the bottle and the ingredients I expected this sauce to be a scorcher. While it has some heat, particularly a slow-building kind that lingers, this sits right at a medium heat level on the chile-head scale (though those with lower tolerances will likely find this to be much hotter). Though reapers, scorpions, and ghost chiles are some of the most strongly flavored peppers out there I strangely didn’t get any of the characteristic super-hot chile flavor in this sauce. The garlic is prominent as well as a vegetal savory flavor from the green onions and red bell peppers, and just some fruity notes from the peppers involved. Vampire Slayer has a hint of sweetness but it’s far from being forward in the sauce, just a general rounding out of the flavor that accentuates the savory notes. This isn’t a vinegar-forward sauce but there’s enough acidity to keep the flavors punchy.

Gindo’s lists a ton of potential pairings for Vampire Slayer on the bottle, and while I didn’t try them all I did find this sauce was extremely flexible. It’s excellent on meats including pork chops, steaks, and chicken wings. It adds the spice and acidity needed to elevate fettuccini alfredo to the next level. This is also a great sauce for cheesesteaks and other sub sandwiches, as well as for fried foods such as shrimp and chicken. I even enjoyed this with some Chinese dumplings and thought it worked well. All in all an exceedingly versatile hot sauce.

Gindo’s Spice of Life Vampire Slayer gets my highest recommendation. It’s a delicious and versatile sauce with enough spice to keep things interesting without being so hot that you can’t use it with breakfast if you’re going out that day. It’s also one of Gindo’s always available sauces and coming in a larger than average bottle you get a lot of value for your money.