…if what they want is GOOD food.

When it comes to taquerías, the only thing more dependable than the requisite plastic container of pico de gallo is the dispenser of horchata lurking just behind the counter. Since I’m usually eating my way through a two pound super burrito–that’s rice, beans, sour cream, guacamole, salsa, and chorizo, for me–a gulp of cool, sweet horchata is exactly what I need to cut through the grease and cool the fire.

For those of you who don’t know, horchata is essentially a rice milk with the addition of sugar and cinnamon. There are about as many of variations of this sweet drink as there are taquerías in California, and they’re not all created equal. I find myself drawn to those versions that taste more custardy–a lot like melted ice cream–usually with the inclusion of vanilla and milk (whole, sweetened condensed, or evaporated).  After purchasing an instant commercial mix at a local Mexican grocery store, which only left me with a pitcher of flavorless chalk water and a bad taste in my mouth, I set out to make a version modeled after one of my favorite taquerías. The result was everything I had hoped it would be: creamy, refreshing and just sweet enough. This stuff is great by itself, but even better when served with good Mexican, like tacos de cochinita pibil.

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Hot sauce, like mustard, is one of those condiments that you can never have too many varieties of in the refrigerator.  In fact, my friends and I have had several conversations discussing the best hot sauce application for various classic recipes. While one friend argues that eggs and home fries are naked without good old Tabasco, another will posture that southern fried chicken isn’t edible without a bottle of Crystal on hand.  I, too, am in the camp that believes every great hot sauce has its perfect gastronomic match, however, it is also my opinion that some hot sauce just works well with everything.  This might explain why my girlfriend and I go through a bottle of Tapatío and Sriracha each month!

It wasn’t until I embarked on a recent trip to Portland, Oregon that I came across another hot sauce that tastes great with everything: Secret Aardvark Habanero Hot Sauce. Touted as “a unique Caribbean/Tex-mex hybrid,” this sauce is dominated by the forward flavors of sweet carrots and the searing heat of habaneros. Believe me when I say, this stuff is good on everything. So good in fact, that I set out to find a clone recipe online so I wouldn’t have to keep rationing the stuff.  Below I’ve included a recipe that I found here on the recipe forums of eGullet.org.

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