Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Food & Drink

Searching for Something Spicy? Hit Up the 2018 NYC Hot Sauce Expo

By
nyc hot sauce expo trophy
NYC Hot Sauce Expo/Facebook

I’m a man who loves his hot sauce. I spice up my eggs and hash browns in the morning, I add a dash or 10 to soups and sandwiches at lunch, and whether dinnertime involves Thai, Mexican, Americana, or just about any cuisine around, you can bet I’ll be topping it off with something spicy. (Need a recipe with hot sauce? Check out these amazing deviled eggs). Do I frequently overdo it and sweat my way through the meal? Hell yes I do. And I’ll never learn, either.

If you’re like me, then there’s a place for us, friend, a place called the 6th Annual NYC Hot Sauce Expo, which takes place in Brooklyn on the April 21-22, 2018. Dozens of different hot sauce makers will descend on the venue, having traveled to New York City from across America and around the world. There are hot sauce brands coming in from the UK, Mexico, New Zealand, and more. And as you would probably expect to find at any good food-based expo in the year 2018, there will also be plentiful craft beers, cocktails, food vendors, demonstrations, music, and eating competitions, including The Ring of Fire Challenge.

nyc hot sauce expo milk
NYC Hot Sauce Expo/Facebook

(On the challenge, I recommend you spectate rather than participate if you want to taste anything other than burning for the rest of April. But since it’s your mouth and the rest of your body, it’s your call.)

Recommended Videos

Tickets to the NYC Hot Sauce Expo range from $10 to $100. The cheapest ticket still allowing for hot sauce taste tests from every vendor on site. A mid-level $50 ticket will also net you a few beers and a generous Texas barbecue platter lunch. The $100 ticket comes with plenty of drinks, eats, VIP area access, and a swag bag full of goodies. (My advice? Go with the $100 ticket. You’ll probably spend almost that much on beer to cool your tongue down anyway, so you might as well prepay and get your money’s worth.)

You can get tickets to the 6th Annual NYC Hot Sauce at the gate, but buying ahead of time is a lot easier. The extravaganza runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. both days, and takes place at the Brooklyn Expo Center at 79 Franklin Street, Brooklyn, NY, 11222.

Steven John
Steven John
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Steven John is a writer and journalist living just outside New York City, by way of 12 years in Los Angeles, by way of…

Editors’ Recommendations

Crisp days call for crisp beers — here are the best craft lagers for fall
Fall is a a great time for craft lagers
Zero Gravity

To say that the craft beer world in the U.S. has exploded in the last few decades is a bit of an understatement. Back in 1995, there were only around two hundred craft breweries in the entire country. Today, we’re nearing 10,000 breweries in the U.S. These breweries are producing hazy IPAs, barrel-aged stouts, and a surprising number of classic, crisp lagers.

The latter just might be the perfect style to bridge the gap between summer and fall. This is because the styles range from crushable, crispy boys perfect for unseasonably hot days to dark, malty lagers well-suited for unseasonably cool autumn evenings.

Read more
These dive bars don’t care about trends—and that’s exactly why we love them
Top dive bars
Dark bar with three empty barstools

Here's to the lowbrow watering hole. These practical establishments don't need bells and whistles like house-made tinctures and custom light fixtures. No, they've given us enough as it is, from that Cheers-like hospitality to that vintage dive bar smell.

Here's to the dive bar. The temple for regulars where a jukebox is preferred to a playlist, a sticker-covered bathroom is the norm, and a regular spoon, not a bar spoon, will do just fine for mixing drinks. Oh, and the drinks tend to be strong.

Read more
I tested Hestan’s ProBond Luxe line — why it’s a smart investment for everyday cooking
Hestan ProBond

After using Hestan's NanoBond cookware for a few months, I've found myself cooking almost exclusively with stainless steel pans. Why? It was the brand’s durability and performance that quickly won me over. So when the new ProBond Luxe line launched, I was curious to see how it would stack up, especially as a more accessible alternative to Hestan's higher-end collections.

Released earlier this month, the ProBond Luxe cookware is made from tri-ply stainless steel and was designed in collaboration with professional chefs. I tested one of the pans in my home kitchen to see how it handled everyday cooking — from weeknight meals to weekend experiments.

Read more