You can use chiles other than Tabasco for a different-tasting sauce.

Note: The recipe for true Tabasco brand hot sauce is a long-guarded secret. In addition, the Tabasco folks make a hot pepper "mash" and let this ferment long before the peppers are used in their secret recipe. This process is what gives Tabasco brand pepper sauce its unique flavor.

This recipe does not attempt to replicate that sauce. Instead, this is a standard Louisiana hot sauce recipe. If desired, you can add some garlic powder and/or onion powder to flavor the sauce somewhat. Ground white pepper added is also a nice touch.

Directions:
Combine the chiles and the vinegar and heat. Stir in the salt and simmer for 5 minutes. Place all the ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth. Add more vinegar if the sauce needs thinning. Allow to steep for a couple of weeks before using. [Note: Store in a dark place, or in light-resistent bottles as the sauce will discolor otherwise. Dark beer bottles work well, in fact. My husband home- brews beer and even has a bottle capper, so we sterilize the dark beer bottles and cap them with caps he buys through his homebrew supplier. The bottles can be processed in a boiling-water bath for extra safety and for longer storage.]

From: Chile Pepper magazine
Posted By: To: pepperfool@yahoo.com
Post Date: May/June 1990