How the Sriracha Bottle Is Taking Over American Visual Culture

It's not just a hot sauce: It's a tattoo, a beer cozy, a Valentine, and more. We've got visual evidence that the Rooster sauce is taking over America

March 8, 2013

Sriracha isn't just a food fad that inspires national magazines to devote an entire week to it. It's a cultural phenomenon. No, seriously! It helps that the hot sauce itself is tasty, sure, but the design on the bottle is just as alluring as the fiery stuff inside. From potato chips to tattoos, here are some of the ways the Rooster sauce is leaving its mark on pop culture.

1/13
Valentines
As long as your boo doesn't mind garlicky smooches, hot sauce Hallmarks can really spice things up. (Credit: Printerette Press)
2/13
Chips
It’s easy enough to just dump your own Sriracha on the chips, either one by one or, if you don’t mind getting sauce on your hand, by pouring it in the bag and shaking it up. But why bother, when a giant company can do it for you? (Credit: Flickr user theimpulsivebuy)

3/13
Tea Towels
If nothing else, it is a beautiful bottle. And you need something to wipe your bright red fingers on when you’re done chowing down. (Credit: Heather Perry)
4/13
Fancy Etched Glass Swing-Top Bottles
Sometimes the best design is the multilingual mish-mash that ends up on cheap, multiethnic hot sauce bottles. Bonus: you can fill this with ketchup and seriously disappoint your friends. (Credit: Libation Lab)

5/13
Plush Squeaky Dog Toys
They may be colorblind, so the red/green thing is a little confusing, but dogs certainly know flavor when they see it. (Credit: girlyspazms)
6/13
Coozies
And why just pretend that your beer is hot sauce? Pour some on in, and make it a Sriracha Michelada. (Credit: DirteeCollection)

7/13
"Adult" Halloween Costumes
This is starting to cross into seriously creepy territory, but you know how that old schoolyard taunt goes: “if you like it so much, why don’t you sexily dress like it?” (Credit: buycostumes.com)
8/13
Water Bottles
Also functions as a tres sportif hot sauce container. (Credit: Gage+Desoto)

9/13
Holiday Tree Ornaments
It’s already the right colors for the happiest time of the year! (Credit: Gastro Chic)
10/13
Lip Balm
This Rooster sauce chapstick gives the words “hot lips” new meaning. (Credit: ThinkGeek)

11/13
Ink
At least they didn’t try actually using Sriracha as the ink. Because, ow. (Credit: Food and Ink)
12/13
More Ink
Why do LOVE and HATE when you can just go for all love? (Credit: Flickr user corvussolus)