Gringo Bandito – Spicy Yellow Hot Sauce

Bitter: ⭐⭐✰✰✰

Salty: ⭐⭐✰✰✰

Sour/Tangy: ⭐⭐⭐⭐✰

Sweet: ⭐⭐✰✰✰

Umami: ⭐⭐✰✰✰

Heat: ⭐⭐✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰

Quick Flavor Notes: Tangy, vegetal, fruity

Texture: Medium-thin with small bits

Recommended: Yes

Ingredients: Water, Distilled Vinegar, Scotch Bonnet Pepper, Habanero Pepper, Mexican Onion, Garlic, Salt, Spices, Xanthan Gum

Gringo Bandito is a hot sauce line founded and formulated by Offspring lead singer Dexter Holland. What began as a passion project to make a better hot sauce to go with the Mexican food he loves has turned into a very popular line. After reviewing his Gringo Bandito Original Red previously I felt it was not only great for a celebrity project hot sauce but a genuinely great hot sauce in general. This time I decided to try another bottle from the pack of his sauces I purchased and decided to go for one that isn’t seen as commonly in the US – his yellow sauce.

Also known as Amarillo style sauces in Mexico (amarillo literally meaning yellow in Spanish) this style of yellow pepper sauce is more common south of the border than in the USA where we usually only see rojo (red) and verde (green) style when it comes to Mexican sauces. Gringo Bandito Spicy Yellow takes advantage of yellow habanero and scotch bonnet peppers for heat. Depending on the variety a yellow pepper may be a fully mature pepper or an intermediary stage between green and fully ripe. The label specifically states that they use Mexican onion. Looking it up there are a number of different onions referred to as Mexican, and it could be a bulb or a green onion used here. Some garlic and spices round things out. Texturally this sauce is medium-thin and mostly smooth though there are some small bits. The aroma does hint at the Mexican spice blend though you also get the vegetal habaner aroma plus plenty of vinegar.

I think that yellow hot sauces should come more into vogue. I’ve had several now including Angry Goat Pepper’s Hot Cock, Chimay Salsa Amarilla, and Gindo’s Ghost of Christmas Past just to name a few and they tend to have great flavor and a nice balance between the fully ripened fruit or floral flavors of fully red sauces and the fresher but more vegetal flavors of green sauces. Gringo Bandito Spicy Yellow falls into that camp as well – there’s a tangy intensity to the flavors and while not super fruity as habaneros and scotch bonnets can be there’s still a hint of those elements. What really stands out is how strong the onion flavor is. Whichever Mexican onion they’re using it’s very strong, though I love onion so I’m not complaining. It goes well with the garlic and the Mexican herbs and spices. I can taste a bit of cumin but this sauce isn’t a cumin bomb. I think I can pick up some Mexican oregano and perhaps some coriander as well but this sauce is primarily vinegar, onion, and pepper forward. Speaking of vinegar, this sauce is very tangy and has a strong vinegar element, something I enjoy as it blends well with the natural tanginess of the yellow chiles, but something to be aware of if you’re sensitive to it. In terms of heat there’s the quick sting common to habanero sauces with a little bit of linger but this is still on the milder side.

The natural pairing for this sauce is with Mexican food and I tried it first with some tacos and nachos. It’s a great match for both, especially when a little bit of Valentina Black Label is used as well to give that earthier flavor in combination. It’s a great cheesesteak and sandwich sauce as well, plenty of tanginess to really cut through the richness and add brightness. I also liked this with some grilled shrimp. Habaneros and shrimp are a match made in heaven and this doesn’t cover up the natural sweetness of the seafood.

I’m happy to recommend Gringo Bandito Spicy Yellow. If you’re looking for a slightly different take on a Mexican style hot sauce and break out from the normal red and green this is one to try.