Hot sauce lovers are saying hallelujah this week, as Irwindale, California residents failed to shut down production of the Huy Fong Foods plant, creators of the popular Sriracha chili sauce. Complaints have been coming in for months, due to the odor the factory gives off.
Sriracha isn’t totally out of the woods, though, as a hearing is still pending for later this fall. If Irwindale can’t accept Sriracha’s spicy, smelliness in their city, San Antonio is ready to welcome the brand with open arms.
“We would welcome the opportunity on a complete relocation, but a more likely scenario is future expansion,” said Mario Hernandez, president of the San Antonio Economic Development Foundation.
On May 12, State Rep. Jason Villalba, is leading a delegation of Texas officials to tour the company’s embattled factory near Los Angeles.
Villalba — who has called Sriracha is his favorite condiment, “even above ketchup” — has written public letters to the company inviting them to Texas, where there is no state income tax and fewer emission regulations.
While Texas and California lawmakers spend your hard earned tax dollars fighting over the fumes of a spicy condiment, we recommend you sit back, relax, and enjoy a dish or cocktail with some of that sweet, garlicky heat.
The west coast might want to look out, though, as New York based Musashi Foods just launched a green sriracha that’s already taking the Twitterverse by storm.
The Spicy Coconut
- 1 ½ parts Pisco (Portón)
- 1 part lime juice
- 1 part coconut water
- ½ part mint syrup*
- 4 dashes Sriracha
Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice, shake and strain over ice in to a coupe.
*Mint syrup
- 1 c. sugar
- 1 c. water
- 1 bunch fresh mint leaves, washed
Over medium heat, combine sugar and water until sugar dissolves and begins to thicken. Add mint leaves and let is at least one hour (overnight for maximum flavor), strain through a mesh sieve and store in refrigerator.
Sriracharita (Hot!)
- 1 ½ parts Cruz tequila
- 1 part fresh lime juice
- ¾ parts Cointreau
- ¼ part jalapeno syrup*
- 3 dashes Sriracha
- Lime wedge for garnish
Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice, shake and strain in to a rocks glass over ice, garnish with lime wedge.
*Jalapeno syrup
- 1 c. sugar
- 1 c. water
- 1 jalapeno, cut lengthwise, seeds removed (2 for the daring!)
Over medium heat, combine sugar and water until sugar dissolves and begins to thicken. Add jalapeno and let is at least one hour (overnight for maximum flavor), strain through a mesh sieve and store in refrigerator.
- 2 oz. Mezcal
- 1 oz. Crown Maple Syrup/Sriracha blend*
- ½ oz. Fresh Lemon Juice
- ½ oz. Fresh Grapefruit Juice
- Yellow Chartreuse
- Celery Bitters
- Garnish: cucumber slice
Combine Mezcal, Maple syrup/Sriracha blend, lemon juice and grapefruit juice in a shaker and shake over ice. Rinse a coupe glass with Yellow Chartreuse, and strain contents of the shaker into the glass. Add 2-3 dashes of celery bitters, garnish with a cucumber slice, and serve.
*Crown Maple Syrup/Sriracha blend: Combine 1/4 teaspoon of Sriracha for every 1 oz. of Maple syrup used. The blend can be refrigerated overnight before using.
Production line photo: Nick Ut, AP