Hosting a hot sauce tasting party

My husband is a HUGE chili head (this isn't just a reference to his red hair, I promise), and there would be no better way to celebrate his birthday than with tongue burning endorphin rush. So I took what I already know about cookie exchange parties and applied it to hot sauce to create an interactive hot sauce tasting party! So we not only have a hot sauce tasting, but a bit of a competition for guests to get creative about the type of hot sauce that they bring to the party.

Inviting guests to your hot sauce tasting

Not everyone is into spicy food, in fact some people downright hate it, so if you're planning a hot sauce tasting, make sure your invitation tells people exactly what they're in for! That's not to say that the faint of tongue aren't welcome, especially if you're celebrating a milestone birthday. Just be sure to have a few mild options on hand.

When inviting guests, instead of gifts for the birthday boy or girl, ask them to bring a bottle of hot sauce (you may wish to specify craft sauces -in other words, no Tabasco, Frank's, or anything most people have already tried). If they're stuck for ideas, you can always steer them toward one of the dozen websites that specialize in selling interesting hot sauces. Let them know that you will be giving awards for things like the best tasting sauce, the hottest sauce, and most unusual sauce. That's sure to help get their creative juices flowing.

Setting up

On the day of the hot sauce tasting party, set up a table where guests will sample the sauces. You'll want to add tiny bowls, ramekins or disposable shot glasses into which you will decant some of each sauce for sampling. Also, be sure to place dishes of saltine crackers or tortilla chips on the table that guests may use to taste each sauce. If you wish, you can separate sections by Hot, Hotter, and Hottest.

As guests sample, have them take note of each sauce and then vote their favorites. In addition to awarding the best sauces, you might also enjoying giving awards to guests that are best able to handle the heat as well as to those who can't take it at all!

In my next post, I'll talk about turning your tasting into a full blown hot sauce tasting party! Stay tuned.