For this review, we return to the world of Dr. Gonzo’s Uncommon Condiments and his burgeoning hot sauce & condiment empire there in the Bay State. This hot sauce, the Smoke Island Elixir, is a homage to all those spicy mustard sauces we all know, and some of us love. A good spicy hot sauce simply must have quality ingredients, and this one has a plethora of them:

Ingredients: pureed jalapeno peppers, white vinegar, ground mustard powder, lime juice, sugar, ground cayenne pepper, salt, minced garlic, liquid mesquite smoke, and spices

Not a bad one in the bunch. This is nothing new for Dr. Gonzo’s products, as we noted when we did their Featured Product writeup about two years ago. The bottle features the same classic label style as all his other products, and the spicy mustard aroma makes you want to try it on damn near everything.

The “Good Doctor” has a new hot sauce and it’s called Smoke Island Elixir. Developed for a friend that told me stories of growing up in Barbados, eating his grandmother’s grilled flying fish filet’s for breakfast slathered her own hot sauce. Most Barbados style mustard sauces have a Habanero/Scotch Bonnet base but this version is Jalapeno/Cayenne based with a mesquite smoke finish. Our customer’s have come to really enjoy the Smoke Isle. Elixir’s unique heat and flavor signature that enhances what ever you choose to put it on. Great for grilled fish, meat marinade or just served in a shot glass. You know you need it, you want it… yep, be the first on your block to own one of the latest taste treat sensations from the “Secret Underground Laboratory”.

First impression: This sauce really sorta looks like Dijon mustard in a hot sauce bottle, a light sandy-colored sauce that is fairly thick and viscous. The aroma is much more mustard than anything else, although the background is also strong with vinegar and the hint of peppers. Very much reminds me of the overall scent of the brown spicy mustard that’s good on hot dogs at your favorite baseball game.

Taste: Wow, every once in a while I find myself pleasantly surprised at the taste of a sauce…and this one fits that description. This sauce has a jalapeno bite on your palate right away, which is followed by the sharp bite of the mustard. Great blend of flavors with the other ingredients as well. Mustard lovers, this is a great sauce for you! For heat, this one is definitely in the medium category…perhaps a 4 or 5 out of 10 on my personal heat scale.

As for uses, this one is so good poured over food that I almost hated mixing into foods to lose the complexities of the taste, This was a tremendous add to every sandwich, burger, or hot dog I could pour it on, not to mention as a dip for fries, chicken nuggets, or anything else you like to eat with a dipping sauce. Mix it into your favorite potato or egg salad for a spicy & mustard-y treat. Use it for anything where you’d use mustard…and beyond.

Overall recommendation: This sauce is more like mustard-on-steroids or a spicy mustard sauce as opposed to a traditional hot sauce. It matters less what you call it as long as you find a way to use it. I really liked this sauce a lot, both from a taste and heat level…but you really need to like mustard to fully appreciate this sauce. Another excellent product from Dr. Gonzo. Two mustard-covered thumbs up. Enjoy!