In preparation, I cooled down a 12 pack of a national brand lager. I didn’t want to have a stout or porter taste wrestling with the salsa flavor.

Using XOCHiTL tortilla chips, I plunged in. Hmmm, a nice back-of-the-palate tingle. Figuring my hot compass might not be pointing due north (I like habanero hot), I encouraged the family to give it a try. Knowing my family in not fond of HOT!, I watched in amusement as the jar contents disappeared. The ten year old ran screaming out the back door and stuck his head in the koi pond. Concerned, I followed him out the door and said, “Is it too hot?” He said, “No dad, just funnin’ with you!!”

There you have it: back of the palate tingle, but not too hot for the family. In the end, I didn’t need to beerxtinguish the John Daly Hot Salsa burn. Instead, I found it to be a delightful counterpoint to tequila.

Now, if I could just encourage Dan to make a hotter version.

Notice: no children or koi were harmed during this taste test.

Concerned, I kicked the the package and nothing seemed alarming. I picked up the package, carried it inside, and carefully cut open the box. Once opened, I realized I had received another package of top secret John Daly Salsa. Yet, this batch seemed ominous. A cryptic scrawl across the lid top read HOT. The scrawl looked as though HOT had been written by a person gasping for air or on his way to nacho heaven.

Nonetheless, the jar remains sealed until tonight. You never know what someone might mean when they write HOT. Could this be a volcanic, tongue flapping-in-the-wind hot?

Once the beer chills, I’ll do a taste test and report back to you tomorrow. Wish me luck.

These two jars represent the base recipe. Plans are in the works for a hotter versions. When will the salsa be available? Hopefully, if we don’t eat it first, you’ll be able to purchase John Daly BBQ Salsa this month.

One more thing. After sampling a bowl of salsa, the Lion was asked his opinion. His response, “Don’t you have a bigger bowl?”