Step 1

Peel and roughly chop 1/4 small onion.  Saute the onion in some oil along with a peeled, roughly chopped garlic clove.  Giving it 5-7 minutes over medium heat will sweeten up the onion and bring out some additional flavors.

Step 2

De-stem and de-seed 7-8 chipotles in adobo.  I usually cut off the stems and then make a slit lengthwise on the chipotles, then peeling them open and discarding the inner veins and seeds.  It's not crucial to get rid of all the seeds but I usually discard most of them.

Step 3

Add the chipotles to a blender or food processor along with the onion-garlic mixture and 1/3 cup white vinegar, 1/3 cup water, the juice of 1/2 orange, a pinch of salt, 1/4 teaspoon cumin, and 3/4 teaspoon Mexican oregano.  Blend until completely liquefied.

Step 4

Take a taste for sweetness.  You can optionally add 1/4 teaspoon of sugar at this point (or more) but I did not add any additional sweetness to this batch.  If you started with less chipotles you can always add more at this point if you want additional heat.

Step 5

Pour hot sauce into a 5 oz. bottle (I find it easiest to use a small funnel).  Store in the fridge where it will keep for about a month.