Poor Vida Cherry Limeade Hot Sauce

Cherry Limeade Hot Sauce was the first vinegar based hot sauce formula created for Poor Vida, but it wasn’t the first time I had ever made a hot sauce like this. My first attempt was closer to the Pomegranate Ghost version, but used actual tobasco peppers that I had grown.

The plant didn’t do very well, and I only wound up with a couple of handfuls of peppers, so I decided to try my hand at making a vinegar hot sauce. It actually came out really well, but then I was out of peppers. I went shopping to see if I could find more, but all I could find at the store was serranos and jalapenos. I decided to make a green hot sauce, and went with it – serrano, jalapeno, cilantro and lime.

As I worked my way through a few iterations, I was running short on my vinegar, but I remembered I had a dark cherry balsamic vinegar in the fridge. I thought it might be weird, but hey, why not. And once I had made that decision, it hit me… Cherry Limeade. Back to the store, searching for ingredients to try to make this theme come to life. Sweetened Cherry Juice instead of sugar, Cherrywood Smoked Sea Salt instead of salt, bump up the amount of lime juice… voila!

It was so good, I bought a few empty bottles online so I could give it away to a select group of friends. Posting the picture (and the feedback) of those first few bottles online is what triggered this whole “let’s make a hot sauce company” thing.

            -Colin

• The First Poor Vida Hot Sauce
• Intense Flavor, Mild to Hot Profile
• Serrano Pepper Flavor Base
• (Kinda) Similar to Salsa Verde
• Slightly Sweet
• 100% Vegan Friendly
• Recyclable & Sustainable Packaging
• Natural Ingredients, No Preservatives or Artificial Flavors

Taster Size: 0.5 oz packet
Spice : Moderate
Salt : Moderate
Sweet : N/A
Uses : Poultry, Beef and Seafood
Other flavor and texture notes : 

To purchase full size bottle of sauce directly from the manufacturer click here : 
 https://poorvida.com/product/cherry-limeade/

Founder Story

The Inside (Job?) Story

Poor Vida has a long history in Dallas, originating in the early 2000’s as a hip hop / drum and bass record label with members of an even earlier group (DAP, Dirty Alien Project) at the helm. For 10 or so years, Poor Vida produced music and promoted and produced hip hop and drum and bass events across Texas, and occasionally around the country. Google Poor Vida Productions and Elements of Hip Hop for a quick background.

And then… ?

Poor Vida officially closed up shop somewhere around 2014. Since then, we have sat on the IP and accounts and domains, occasionally bringing sites back to life for various purposes. During Covid, one of the original Poor Vida (and DAP) members, Colin, started making salsas and hot sauces, exclusively for personal use. After posting a photo on Facebook in November of 2022 of a recent batch, the feedback and interest was enough to kickstart a new idea… Poor Vida Hot Sauce.

Well, that’s interesting I guess?

Thanks! We thought so too. Hip Hop Hot Sauce. Maybe that will be a thing. Or maybe that part of it is just going to live on this page alone. Maybe you should sign up for out Hottest News (letter) and see if we decide to Put Some Sauce on local rappers. Probably not though… (3 months later EDIT – yeah, we did it. Check them out)

Website : 

To purchase full size bottle of sauce directly from the manufacturer click here

Retail :

Social Media:

Ingredients List

Ingredients : White Wine Vinegar, Serrano Peppers, Water, Jalapeno Peppers, Lime Juice, Olive Oil, Cherry Balsamic Vinegar, Sweetened Cherry Juice, Garlic, Cilantro, Cherrywood Smoked Sea Salt, Seasoned Pepper, Xanthan Gum

Nutrition Label

Nutrition Facts Servings: about 1