Whether you add just a dab or pour it on till your nose and eyes run, it is important to have the right hot sauce for the occasion. Some prefer the acid of vinegar (oh hai, Tabasco), while others prefer the garlicky undertones of fermented products. With the bounty of produce farms and artisanal producers in the Hudson Valley, it should come as no surprise that there are a handful of local craft hot sauce brands to feed your fire. Check out these five upstate hot sauce makers to lend your meals a little locally grown intensity.

Dutchess County and the mid-Hudson Valley has become a destination for foodies. It’s home to The Culinary Institute of America’s Hyde Park campus and myriad dining locations that feature expert chefs focusing on locally produced ingredients. But, what is the signature of the region? Is there a dish in which residents take pride in their region’s mastery, and visitors tell friends they, too, must try it firsthand?

I consider myself something of a heat seeker. I’ll put hot sauce on just about anything. But while I can handle a hot, hot sauce, what I truly love are those that focus first on the complex, deep and fruity flavors of hot peppers and how they are enhanced by other quality ingredients. These days my favorite sauces come from Horseshoe Brand right here in Milan, New York. Now a national, and even an international brand (and available in most markets around the region), Horseshoe was started in the kitchen of former Dutchess County Sheriff's Deputy Ken Millet. Millet’s childhood friend and now business partner Ryan Fleischhauer said Millet was always that guy who would just nonchalantly cook something amazing for any party. Millet started making hot sauce as a hobby to share with his friends and family. In 2008 he began bottling small batches and selling them at events.

I love these hot sauces! The kiwi jalapeno is my favorite — it's not as sweet as it sounds and tastes good on truly everything. Get it from Horseshoe Brand for $6.99 (available in nine hot sauces and two barbecue sauces).

In the current issue 9/2018, the Hamburg editorial team from essen & Trinken recommends our hot Horseshoe brand sauces from New York. The Hudson Valley produces a whole range of sauces from fruity to smoky. We are pleased about the report and thank you!

Based in New York’s Hudson Valley, Horseshoe Brand, manufacturer of small batch sauces, is now available to the independent gourmet housewares market.

Hot sauce and BBQ sauce with the volume turned (way) up. Try any one of these recipes featuring Horseshoe Brand sauces.

A panel of judges from all walks of the professional food industry weigh in on sauces submitted to various categories, like best fruit base sauce and best jalapeno sauce. Horseshoe Brand Kiwi Jalapeno takes 1st place for best jalapeno sauce!

Ryan Fleischhauer and Ken Millet, co-owners of Horseshoe Brand hot sauce, turned a hobby into a business that heats up plates and palates throughout the Hudson Valley.

These small-batch hot sauces, lovingly made by hand, are as good as it gets. They deliver not just heat, but flavor that comes from whole chiles (as opposed to capsaicin extract) and top-quality produce. The flavor lineup includes Cajun, Chipotle, Habanero, Kiwi Jalapeño, Mango Fatali, Maple Cayenne, Roasted Garlic and XXXtra Hot. They’re $5.99 each; a mix-and-match six-pack is $29.95.

Horseshoe Brand sells 11 varieties of small-batch hot sauce and barbecue sauce. If you can’t pick just one bottle for the condiment-lover in your life, the Hudson Valley, New York-based company offers a six-pack. Mix and match to create the perfect set of sauces from their line, which includes roasted garlic, kiwi jalapeño, and hot barbecue sauce.

At its most basic, hot sauce makes food spicy. But at the height of its powers, this sort of seasoning can bring dishes to life and reveal new dimensions of flavor. Our favorite proof: Horseshoe Brand hot sauce, made in Rhinebeck, N.Y., by hobbyist-cook deputy sheriff turned hot-sauce entrepreneur Ken Millett. The unexpected “it” factor in Horseshoe’s most revelatory flavors is fruit, often in surprising combinations. The mango-and-fatali-pepper sauce, vinegar-bright with a blooming heat, has a touch of tamarind tang to offset the mango’s richness. In the fiery habañero sauce, meanwhile, a little mango brings out the natural fruitiness of the chili. Kiwi-jalapeño, Horseshoe’s best-selling answer to Mexican-style salsa verde, swaps out the traditional tart tomatillos for sweeter kiwis. Stir the sauce into mashed avocados for an instant, beautifully balanced guacamole.

If you’re a real hot sauce aficionado, you know the best bottles aren’t sold in the big-box stores. We picked five locally made sauces that range from sweet-and-smoky to tear-inducing heat, so no matter your preference, there’s something here that’ll bring out your inner fire-loving foodie fiend.

The Horseshoe Brand Maple Cayenne hot sauce is made with hot red cayenne pepper and rich, smoky chipotle for a classic, fire-y flavor. However, the addition of organically crafted Crown Maple syrup and sugar add a new and dynamic layer to the sauce, creating an entrancing hot sauce with the welcoming flavors and sweetness of maple coupled with a substantial, long-lasting level of heat. A crowning touch for all types of foods, the Horseshoe Brand Maple Cayenne hot sauce pairs particularly well with pork and seafood, as well as classic dishes such as chicken and waffles, or even just a simple cracker.

We are excited to announce BIG news! We are honored to be included in the “O” List of the March 2017 edition of “O, The Oprah Magazine”. The magazine issue hits newsstands on Tuesday, February 14. Be sure to grab your copy! In addition, we are offering 20% off all of our products for a limited time! Use code OPRAH at checkout and SAVE today! (Expires 3/31)

We are excited to announce a new partnership with Tops Friendly Markets. You can now find our hot sauces throughout several Tops Friendly Markets in New York’s Hudson Valley. For a location near you, please visit our store locator or visit the Tops Friendly Markets’ store locator by following the link below.

We are pleased to announce our new partnership with Stop and Shop Supermarkets. You can now purchase our hot sauces at most of the Stop and Shop Supermarkets throughout New York state. Check out the Stop and Shop Store Locator for a store near you!

We are pleased to announce our new partnership with Price Chopper and Market 32 Supermarkets. You can now purchase our hot sauces at all of the Price Chopper and Market 32 Supermarkets. Check out the Price Chopper Store Locator for a store near you!

Horseshoe Brand's Kiwi Jalapeño Hot Sauce was featured in Men’s Fitness Magazine's list of the "7 Healthiest Hot Sauces That Will Instantly Fire Up Your Food". Men's Fitness noted: "As small-batch brands seek out the purest, rarest, most nutrition-packed peppers on earth, this fiery stuff has become one of the best superfoods you can put on your plate."