SAN FRANCISCO — He squirted the hot sauce on a chocolate chip cookie.

“You can’t do this with any other hot sauce,” said Matt Beeson, owner of Swamp Dragon. His Baton Rouge, La.-based business produces hot sauces made with tequila, rum, vodka or bourbon instead of vinegar. The spirits add stability and flavor, minus the pungent, acidic notes of traditional varieties.

“Is this alcoholic?” I asked. “Could this make me drunk if I drank the whole bottle?”

He laughed.

“The peppers will get to you long before the alcohol will,” he said.

Matt Beeson developed Swamp Dragon, a hot sauce that swaps the vinegar for spirits.
 

Swamp Dragon was among dozens of new brands featured at Winter Fancy Food Show, held Jan. 21-23 in San Francisco. Developed with help from food scientists and students at Louisiana State University’s Ag Center Food Incubator, the products are perfectly legal to sell to minors and ship across state lines, Mr. Beeson said. Swamp Dragon sauces pair well with tacos, cocktails, pizza, chicken and waffles, and, yes, chocolate chip cookies.

Read on for more emerging brands spotted at the Winter Fancy Food Show.