The Brand Behind Our Favorite “Secret Sauce” Just Launched Three New Hot Sauces

There’s no doubt that I’ve got a special place in my heart (and belly) for the funky and fun fermentations over at Acid League. In fact, I love these special bottles so much, I’ve even converted the whole gang here at the Kitchn to get on the bandwagon. Now all of our pantries are filled with the stuff. Always unique, unexpected, and totally delicious, from make-you-eat-your-greens salad dressings to the secret sauce I put on literally everything, the flavor gurus over at the DTC brand sure know what they’re doing.

Because I definitely claim to be the brand’s biggest fan, I was utterly delighted when I found out the unorthodox creators were beginning a Maker Series. The series, which just launched this week, is an evolving collection of goods crafted by artisans and makers (from all over the globe!) adored by Acid League, that will be featured on the site. In other words, you’ll be able to discover the world’s coolest, tastiest, Acid League-approved products and order them right alongside a bottle of the tried-and-true Saffron Gold all of us here just can’t stop raving about. Pretty awesome right? And, to debut this stellar idea, Acid League has chosen to start off the site’s section by highlighting Onima, a brand delivering some hot commodities.

Onima is a Barcelona-based hot sauce brand that uses methods just as quirky and effective as Acid League itself, and they’re offering a trio of complex and versatile spicy sauces. Talk about starting off the Maker Series with a kick! Each of the three bottles contains a carefully curated blend of spices and chiles that work to tell the story of the historic spice trade in Spain, and they do so with a nuanced dance of flavors that will deepen the sweet, salty, or acidic notes of whatever it is you plan to pour them on.

All of Onima’s sauces are crafted from a meticulous fermentation process. The chiles are macerated and salted, then left to their own devices. Once the proper level of fermentation is achieved, the spicy stuff is combined with kombucha and additional spices, herbs, and flavorings. The result? Some very good bottles of hot sauce.

This Maker Series-approved kit is made up of three very different, yet simultaneously harmonious, sauces: Malson, IL Mig, and Cry Baby. Malson, the mildest of the bunch, relies on notes of caraway, fennel, and cumin to create a nice base that’s cut with the zing of habanero and the brightness of ginger and lemon. IL Mig (the medium-hot option) is a balance between the velvety notes of good olive oil, koji, caramelized garlic, and the fiery zest of red jalapeño and fresh cayenne. Finally, Cry Baby, the hottest of the three, is a wild blend of 21 different spices, uber-hot ghost pepper ground in kombu, and Spanish tomatoes. If any hot sauces were worthy of hanging out on Acid League’s site, it’d have to be these.

While each bottle is quite different from the next, I think you’ll find you’ll keep them all within arms reach, at all times. Whether you’re looking amp up the heat or simply complexify a dish, there’s no doubt one of these spicy sensations can get the job done. In fact, we think you could find dozens of pairings with Acid League’s own stock that would make for a stellar flavor bomb.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to finish placing my own order …

Buy: Onima Hot Sauce Kit, $55