Tabasco Sauce - [tuh-BAS-koh] A trademarked name held by the McIlhenny family since the mid-1800s, describing a fiery sauce made from Tabasco peppers (barrel-fermented for 3 years), vinegar, and salt. The Tabasco pepper is very hot, small red Chile that originated in the Mexican state of Tabasco. The word Tabasco means "damp earth." Tabasco Sauce adds zest to numerous dishes as well as being integral to the famous Bloody Mary cocktail.