When most people think of cocktail sauce, they picture it being used as a dipping sauce for shrimp. However, it is a much more versatile sauce or condiment than most people realize. It can be used for foods or drinks such as Bloody Marys, crab cakes, deviled eggs, and more.
No matter how you use your cocktail sauce, it’s important to find the best brand that will hopefully leave you wanting more each time you have it. Here are 12 cocktail sauce brands to consider purchasing during your next trip to the grocery store.
Brands of Cocktail Sauce
Louisiana Fish Fry Products
Website: louisianafishfry.com
The company began as a produce stand in Baton Rouge, Louisiana in 1959. The owner of this produce stand, Tony Pizzolato, eventually realized there was a strong demand for seafood in the area. He began selling a variety of seafood products and by 1972 his business was undoubtedly a success. Louisiana Fish Fry Products was launched in 1982 with its first products being fry and base mixes.
The company now makes an assortment of seafood-related products. Its cocktail sauce comes in a 12-ounce jar and is made the classic way with horseradish sauce.
Old Bay
Website: mccormick.com/old-bay
Old Bay is a brand of McCormick which most people know from its seafood seasoning. The name “Old Bay” comes from a ship line that operated near Baltimore where the brand was invented and founded in 1939. McCormick purchased the rights to the brand in 1990.
Old Bay’s cocktail sauce is made with tomato paste, lemon juice, horseradish, and Old Bay Seasoning, among other ingredients. This thick cocktail sauce is perfect for shrimp cocktail, oysters, dips, and more.
Heinz
Website: heinz.com
America’s favorite ketchup brand also manufactures a variety of other products such as mustard, mayo, pickles, BBQ sauce, and cocktail sauce. The company has been in business since 1869 when H.J. Heinz founded the company. The first product was actually horseradish and not ketchup.
Today, Heinz makes its Original Cocktail Sauce and Zesty Cocktail Sauce. The zesty sauce uses more horseradish and spices than the original to kick the flavor up a level or two.
St. Elmo’s
Website: store.stelmos.com
St. Elmo is a popular steak house restaurant located in Indianapolis, Indiana that has been serving customers since 1902. While they are one of the top steakhouses in the country, it may be better known for its world-famous shrimp cocktail. The restaurant serves 135,000 shrimp cocktails per year with 3,800 gallons of cocktail sauce made at the restaurant annually.
To allow customers to enjoy the taste of St Elmo’s cocktail sauce at home, the company now offers sauce you can purchase at the grocery store. St. Elmo’s Very Spicy Shrimp Cocktail Sauce comes in a 12-ounce bottle and packs a punch from the horseradish used as an ingredient.
Bookbinder’s
Website: bookbindersfoods.com
The Old Original Bookbinder’s was a restaurant in Philadelphia that first opened in the late 1800s. The Chesapeake Bay was the source of much of its seafood, which customers enjoyed for decades. Some of these customers included the great Babe Ruth, Teddy Roosevelt, and Frank Sinatra. Sadly, the Philadelphia location closed in 2009, however, an Old Orginal Bookbinder’s restaurant is still open in Richmond, Virginia.
In addition to the restaurant, a food product line has been created with the Bookbinder’s name that specializes in condiments. Products include mustard, horseradish, and sauces include cocktail sauce. The cocktail sauces offered by Bookbinders are Hot and Spicy and Original flavors.
Inglehoffer
Website: beavertonfoods.com
Inglehoffer is a brand of Beaverton Foods that also owns the Beaver Brand of cocktail sauce (see below). The company was started by Rose Biggi in 1929 with the first product being horseradish sauce. This horseradish business not only helped Rose through the Great Depression but also developed the initial stages of what would turn into the largest specialty condiment manufacturer in America. The company remains family-owned to this day.
Inglehoffer’s Cocktail Sauce is made with fresh grated horseradish. It provides a nice amount of punch without overpowering the tastebuds
Beaver Brand
Website:beavertonfoods.com
Beaver Brand is one of the signature brands of Beaverton Foods. It is sold in a 13-ounce squeezable bottle and is made with fresh grated horseradish. Beaverton Foods are sold in all 50 states so you will likely be able to find Beaver Brand and Inglehoffer (see above) near you.
Schlotterbeck & Foss
Website: schlotterbeck-foss.com
The company began in 1866 as a prescription medicine shop. In addition to medicines, the company produced flavoring extracts starting in the 1900s. Today, Schlotterbeck & Foss makes a diverse selection of products including sauces, marinades, and salsas.
Its cocktail sauce is made with tomatoes, horseradish, spices, and sea salt as its primary ingredients. The sauce is gluten-free and contains zero artificial flavors.
McCormick
Website: mccormick.com
Most people likely recognize McCormick from its high-quality spices that are difficult to miss down the spice aisle at most grocery stores. However, they are the parent company behind many popular brands such as Frank’s RedHot, Old Bay (see above), Lawry’s, and French’s. McCormick makes Original and Extra Hot cocktail sauce.
Crosse & Blackwell
Website: crosseandblackwell.com
In regard to brands sold in America, Crosse & Blackwell is one of the oldest. It dates back to 1706, London when it was known as Jackson’s. The company produced salted fish, condiments, and sauces as its primary products. The company was purchased by Edmund Crosse and Thomas Blackwell in 1830 when the company’s name switched to its current name.
Today, the brand is owned by J.M. Smucker Company in North America, Princes Group in Europe, and Tiger Brands in South Africa. Crosse & Blackwell makes Seafood Cocktail Sauce and Shrimp Sauce.
Primal Kitchen
Website: primalkitchen.com
Primal Kitchen products are some of the best if you are looking to eat real and recognizable ingredients. Whether it’s ranch dressing or steak sauce, you know when you eat Primal Kitchen foods that you are consuming some of the best ingredients out there.
The company’s cocktail sauce is organic and unsweetened. It is also keto certified and Whole 30 approved. All ingredients are recognizable and won’t make you feel guilty about eating them. Primal Kitchen is certainly at the top in terms of quality ingredients out of all the cocktail sauces featured here.
Hoffman House
Website: jumpstart-foods.com/hoffman-house
You could find Hoffman House on grocery store shelves for about 70 years until the brand was discontinued in 2019. The company that owned the brand wanted to move in a different direction so they terminated brand despite it still being popular with cocktail sauce.
Dave Allen and Ted Kranick stepped in and started Jump Start Foods in 2020 which brought back the iconic Hoffman House brand.
