Crazy Bastard Sauce – Tomatillo & Habanero

I was lucky enough to be sent this sauce by Jonathan O Reilly who lives in Berlin, Germany.

Crazy Bastard Sauce is a small-batch (15 litre) chilli sauce produced in a professional kitchen in Germany, and the website indicates that each batch may vary slightly in terms of colour and heat.  The recipe for Crazy Bastard Sauce has taken three years to perfect, and I can really see why.

On first taste the sauce is naturally sweet, with a rush of heat that catches your tongue after a few seconds.  Then, a strong hit of garlic follows, mellowed by a sweet tomato, and then complimented with fruity, citrusy Haberano flavours.  The sauce lets off a series of bass notes with the tomato and garlic, and the Haberano and vinegar sprinkle the tongue with high notes. Although this sauce has a simple ingredient list, it’s perhaps has the most deep and refined flavour profile I’ve ever had from a sauce using these ingredients.  Simple, but memorable.     Classy, not in-your-face.

The heat is fairly immediate, punchy, but not raw.  It’s a pleasurable heat which compliments the flavours of the sauce perfectly.  However, it you have the sauce in large amounts then it really does show it’s strength, this really is quite a hot and powerful sauce and I prefer it smaller amounts.

So far I’ve tried Crazy Bastard Sauce in a sausage sandwich, on cold roast beef, and alongside some pork chops – all fantastic.  I’ve also found myself putting blobs of the sauce on my finger while working at my desk, it’s really quite addictive, and I think the delicious flavour and balanced heat is the cause of that.

Crazy Bastard Sauce is clearly of handcrafted, artisan values, beginning at the packaging and following all the way through to the final taste.  The sauce comes in 100ml glass bottle with a nice sliver cap, kinda like an old medicine bottle.  The labels are brightly illustrated with iconic and fun graphics, and the typeface used is lovely.  The sauce has clearly been well thought out from top-to-bottom, and I’d say the hard work has been worth it since we have a standout sauce here.

Currently my favourite sauce of 2014 so far.

Rating: 5/5

Hot Sauce Review

6 Comments

  1. georgedans on August 7, 2014 at 1:59 pm

    Wicked packaging!

  2. carey on August 8, 2014 at 7:54 am

    Wow sounds like a good one, I’m going to Berlin in October so will keep my eyes peeled for this one

  3. gordita on November 6, 2014 at 7:52 am

    This sauce is really good. I am Mexican and I love my sauces to be hot hot. I finished the first bottle in less than a month and I can´t wait to get my second one. The packaging is wicked I agree

    • Hot Sauce Review on November 6, 2014 at 11:46 am

      Glad you liked it, I finished mine in about the same time – it’s really nice and I find it can go with a lot of sauces.

      What’s your favourite Mexican sauce? Mexican sauces are usually my favourite, I would love to try more. I’m a big fan of Extra Hot Valentina

      • gordita on November 9, 2014 at 3:59 pm

        Oh yeah, thats the beauty of this sauce. I poured it on everything haha
        I love salsa valentina but i mostly use it for popcorn.
        If there is a tkmaxx near your area i would recommend a sauce named PAIN 100% it’s very tasty. Mexican sauces are very very hard to get. There are some amazing homemade sauces from yucatan and the brand is yucatik but i really don’t think you could get your hands on that.

        I think hot bastard sauce is by far one of the best ones i have tried outside my country.

        • Hot Sauce Review on November 14, 2014 at 10:45 am

          Great idea, going to have try Valentina on popcorn!

          I’ve had the Yucatan years ago, a friend brought me back a bottle from Texas. I have pictures, and still remember the taste, might review it sometime.

Leave a Comment