Divine Pepper – Glass of Milk Gourmet Hot Sauce

Bitter: 🟡🟡🟡○○

Salty: 🟡🟡🟡○○

Sour/Tangy:🟡🟡🟡○

Sweet: 🟡○○○○

Umami: 🟡🟡🟡○○

Heat: 🟡🟡○○○○○○○○

Quick Flavor Notes: Fruity, sharp, tangy, mustardy, earthy

Recommended: Yes

Texture: Medium and creamy with some chewy bits

Ingredients: Water, Vinegar, Red Chili Pepper, Olive Oil, Mustard Seed, Monosodium Glutamate, Contains 2% or less of Salt, Onion, Garlic, Spices, Turmeric, Natural Flavor.

Divine Pepper is an Orlando, FL based hot sauce company run by a woman named Thais whose family hails from Brazil. Using family recipes and experimenting with different peppers have a philosophy of focusing on flavor first before heat. I picked this bottle up, along with two others from the company, after tasting them at last year’s Pinellas Pepper Fest and finding that I very much enjoyed them. I was also interesting that they used peppers that aren’t commonly found in other hot sauces including the malagueta, which this sauce uses, and the wiri wiri which is the focus of one of their other sauces. The name “Glass of Milk” for this sauce comes from a bit of Brazilian teasing that those who can’t handle the heat need to drink a glass of milk with their meals.

The malagueta pepper is native to Brazil and likely originated in the Amazon river basin. It’s a member of Capsicum Frutescens which also includes the wiri wiri pepper of Guyana, the tabasco pepper of Mexico, and the xiao mi la pepper which is used extensively in the Sichuan and Hunan regions of China. Interestingly the malagueta pepper is the predecessor of the African Birdseye chile which is also known as the piri piri or peri peri pepper and which was taken from Brazil to Africa but Portuguese explorers. The malagueta pepper today, at least outside of Brazil, is primarily known for being served in sauce and whole pepper form at Brazilian churrascerias churrascarias such as Rodizio Grill (where I experienced it first many years ago). While the bottle just says “red chili pepper” the brand’s website does explain that the pepper in this case is the malagueta. Aside from that chili this sauce incorporates mustard seed, MSG, onion, garlic, and some unnamed spices. It also incorporates olive oil which gives it a creamy emulsified texture. Aside from not expanding on the spices used this also has a catch-all “natural flavors” which I always dislike seeing on any label as I’m against obfuscation of ingredients in any hot sauce and believe that hot sauces companies should be fully transparent as to what exactly is in their sauces.

As mentioned Divine Pepper Glass of Milk is creamy and emulsified from the olive oil but it does have some bits of pepper and spices within that gives it a nice bit of chew. The consistency is medium and it flows well while also sticking well to food. The aroma does have hints of oil but also some almost citrus notes that come through in addition to the vinegar, mustard, and chile scents. The malagueta chile is surprisingly fruity and bright for the type of pepper it is and that comes through in this sauce along with a nice amount of tang. Between the vinegar and the mustard it’s quite piquant and sharp which is balanced by the olive oil which makes Glass of Milk quite rich and silky. Turmeric is often used in prepared mustards and has an earthy flavor as well as an intense yellow-brown color (and interestingly, prior to the common use of turmeric in mustard they were often colored with lead chromate, which is toxic) and that earthy slightly bitter flavor also comes through. Garlic and onion work in cohesion with the mustard and turmeric to give Glass of Milk a savory fullness that fills out out underneath those bright fruity malaguetas. Overall the sauce is fresh, fruity, rich, and robust with a nice umami from the MSG. As with many other oil-heavy sauces the heat tends to linger a bit more than with purely vinegar-based hot sauces though the malaguetas themselves aren’t a super-hot chile, being milder than even a habanero.

While I knew I would have to try this out with Brazilian steakhouse meat, my first meal after I opened it was some fried chicken and macaroni and cheese. I’m not normally a big mac and cheese fan as I find it’s too heavy and dull, but with this sauce it’s much more interesting, having enough tang and brightness to easily cut through the fat. This sauce is also great with fried chicken as it’s thick enough to stick to the crust and with the oil base doesn’t make it soggy quickly. I went for a sandwich next and found this sauce is another on in the pantheon of hot sauces that’s the perfect accompaniment to a hoagie. Tangy and vibrant enough to wake things up and with just enough heat to make it interesting, plus that natural fruity sharp flavor of the malagueta peppers is excellent with meats. Speaking of which, I did get some takeout Brazilian barbecue and as expected this feels like it’s meant for it, going well with everything from picanha to sausages to chicken.

Divine Pepper Glass of Milk Malagueta hot sauce gets my recommendation. I’m not thrilled about the lack of transparency in the ingredient label but the sauce is tasty and I always like to help support local Florida hot sauce makers. The malagueta chile is also one that’s not used nearly enough IMO as it has a great flavor and a nice medium level of heat. After trying this one I’m looking forward to eventually opening their wiri wiri sauce to see what they can do with the famous Guyanese pepper.