America has a sriracha obsession – and with good reason. Sriracha sauce is a perfect accompaniment to chicken, pork, noodle dishes, fries, spring rolls, chips, popcorn, sandwiches, and much more.

Sriracha’s enticing moderate spice level and bright red coloring earned “Ingredient of the Year” honors from Bon Appétit Magazine in 2010, and its popularity has only continued to expand in the decade since. Consumers may remember Pizza Hut’s Smoky Sriracha Chicken Wings, Subway’s Creamy Sriracha Sauce, and Frito-Lay’s sriracha-flavored potato chip offerings.

Seeing an opportunity to capitalize on sriracha’s continued rise, another nationwide chain has announced they are poised to take a bite out of the sriracha pie – or should we say “slurp.” Jimbo’s Juice, nationally acclaimed chain of smoothie shops, held a press conference Saturday, April 1 and unveiled their new limited-time menu offering for Spring & Summer: The Sriracha Smoothie.

In a product demonstration open to the media, company president Jimothy “Jimbo” Falscher, assisted by a team member from the Rancho Cucamonga store, unveiled a table of ingredients and a high-speed blender, to show how the new concoction is put together.

The Sriracha Smoothie is made by filling a blender with vanilla soft serve, oatmilk, a banana, a small handful of red serrano peppers, three pumps of distilled white vinegar, a splash of fish sauce, and the secret ingredient that brings it all together: Unreàl Sriracha Syrup.

The latest innovation from A.N.D. (American Non-consumables Division), Unreàl Sriracha is a flavored syrup created specifically for the café and specialty beverage industries, made from chili paste, fermented fish, garlic, salt, and even more vinegar for that pop of sour acidity smoothie consumers have come to love.

“We’re proud that we could partner with A.N.D. to develop the syrup and bring this Sriracha Smoothie to life,” Falscher said. “We know there’s an enormous opportunity for this sort of thing, and we’re excited to be the first to market. Ice cream and chili sauce – what could go wrong.”

The peppers bring a kick of heat, while the fragrant notes of fermented fish bubble up in every sip. The ice cream brings a balance of sweetness and the smoothie is finished with a decadent ribbon of white chocolate drizzle to complement the chili notes, as well as a lemon wheel for a citrus burst.

“It’s the kind of taste experience that stays with you all day,” said Lead Taste Engineer Terry Bull-Plann. “We took notes from the antiperspirant developers who came up with 48-hour scent technology; we wanted a lasting, lingering – almost lurking – flavor with this smoothie product.”

Jimbo Falscher is not only excited about the unique flavor, he sees avenues for creative menu versatility, too.

“The possibilities are endless for related offerings,” he said. “Add a shot of espresso and you’ve got yourself a Sriracha frappé, freeze the Unreàl syrup and you’ve got Sriracha popsicles. This may be the greatest idea in the history of smoothies – definitely not worried that we’re in too deep here.”

With a half-present, glossy-eyed look, Falscher concluded the media gathering, and walked off stage, still muttering to himself under his breath. Witnesses reported overhearing Falscher mumble the phrases “We can do this,” and “It’s a good plan Big Jimbo” repeatedly.

With a unique spicy/sweet flavor and persistent aftertaste, Sriracha Smoothies are poised to be among the top trends in the beverage industry this Spring and Summer.

Read about other unreal industry trends on the Houston’s Blog.