“You have got to be kidding me” were my first thoughts upon seeing the UV Sriracha Vodka bottle in all its red and green glory, mimicking the original Srirachia bottle’s colors. Well, I do like vodka, and I do like Srirachia, as well, and just about anything and everything spicy, so why not? After all, Srirachia hot sauce has become the hot and spicy taste of the moment with pizza places and sandwich shops and just about everyone else and their mothers featuring it in their menus.
For a while there, Huy Fong Foods, the maker of the original Srirachia sauce in Rosemead, California was almost shut down by their neighbors for constantly producing a very spicy and apparently very annoying smell that permeated their neighborhood. Thankfully calmer heads prevailed and Srirachia keeps rolling off the assembly line unimpeded. However, that didn’t stop UV from concocting their own Srirachia taste profile rather than using the real thing in their vodka. Let’s see if their version tastes anywhere near the real thing.
Holy fake out, Batman! This vodka appears to be a pale red in the bottle mimicking the actual Srirachia color, but when poured, it is as transparent as plain vodka or water for the matter. Sad, it would have been really cool if it were to have been red instead of colorless. The nose is akin to a watered down version of the original, not as strong or spicy smelling but otherwise close enough to fool most. There is the aroma of chili’s, vinegar, garlic and salt in this nose but not a trace of alcohol – possibly because it has been lowered from the standard 40% ABV to 30% ABV. On the palate, a sugar and salt taste dominate followed by the chili peppers, and in the finish, the spiciness takes over and lasts a fairly long time. I’m not so sure this would make a decent stand alone sipper and even on the rocks the spiciness of the chili’s shines on through, which, although I appreciate, seems out of place in a vodka.
On the other hand, a dirty martini made with this vodka comes out pretty tasty, as does a Bloody Mary, which seems like the “raison d’être” of UV Sriracha Vodka. And then, there’s the price point of only around $12.00 for a 750ml bottle, which makes this flavored vodka a steal and a deal. I think a bottle of this vodka just might find its way into my bar not only as a curiosity and a point of conversation but as a really good mixer in some of my favorite drinks.
By George Brozowski