There’s no doubt that Australian BBQ sauce tastes great on top of sausages and hamburgers. But did you know that it also forms a vital ingredient in many popular drinks?
The strong, smoky flavour palette of BBQ sauce means that it goes well with many ingredients. Next time you are having friends round, give one of these delicious drinks a try — we guarantee your friends will love it!
Of course, all of these recipes can be converted to mocktails by substituting spirits for your favourite non-alcoholic varieties.
BBQ Bloody Mary
A brunch favourite, this recipe provides an added hit of flavour with the addition of Australian BBQ sauce. Serves 4.
Ingredients:
- 230 ml vodka
- 470 ml tomato juice
- 4 tbsp smoky Australian BBQ sauce
- 4 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 2 tsp hot sauce
- Your choice of garnish — try celery, salt, cherry tomatoes, jalapenos, lemon wedges, or anything else that takes your fancy!
Method:
- Add all ingredients (excluding garnishes) into a cocktail shaker.
- Fill the shaker with ice and mix for 10 seconds.
- Serve drink over ice and top with your favourite garnishes — enjoy!
Lemon Lime BBQ Margarita
Who doesn’t love a margarita! This classic drink is only elevated through the inclusion of a dash of BBQ sauce. Serves 4.
Ingredients:
- Juice of 2 limes
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tbsp simple syrup
- 180 ml tequila
- 4 tsp Australian BBQ sauce
- Salt
- Lime wedge
Method:
- Fill a cocktail shaker with ice.
- Add the lemon and lime juice, simple syrup, tequila, and BBQ sauce.
- Shake well for a minute.
- Prepare the glasses with a sprinkling of salt around the rim.
- Pour the margarita mixture over ice and serve topped with a lime wedge as garnish — enjoy!
Beer, Bourbon and BBQ Sauce Cocktail
This cocktail is a relatively new invention, which grew out of American festivals that celebrated all things beer and barbeque. Try it for yourself to see why it’s quickly become a smash hit. Serves 4.
Ingredients:
- 1 bottle Australian BBQ sauce
- 4 cups hot water
- 200 ml bourbon whiskey
- 100 ml honey whiskey liquor
- Juice of 1 orange
- 300 ml beer
Method:
- To start with, you will need to create ‘BBQ water’ — a mix of BBQ sauce and hot water. Simply combine the bottle of BBQ sauce with the 4 cups of hot water and mix until completely incorporated.
- Let the hot BBQ water sit until cooled — feel free to refrigerate.
- While the BBQ water is settling, fill a cocktail shaker with ice.
- Add both the liquors, the orange juice and around 30 ml of the BBQ water.
- Shake well.
- Strain the mixture into a cocktail glass.
- Pour the beer into the cocktail shaker and mix vigorously, until foam has formed.
- Gently top the liquor mixture with beer foam to garnish — enjoy!
Red Zombie
This cocktail certainly has bite! Serves 4.
Ingredients:
- 200 ml vodka
- 400 ml tomato juice
- 2 tsp grated horseradish
- 4 tsp Australian BBQ sauce
- 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- Juice of 1 lemon
- Salt and pepper
- 4 celery sticks, to garnish
Method:
- Combine the vodka, tomato juice, horseradish, BBQ sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and lemon in a cocktail shaker.
- Add ice and mix vigorously.
- Strain into a martini glass.
- Season with salt and pepper and garnish with a celery stick — enjoy!
Southern Island Shrub
Honey, pineapple, and BBQ sauce never tasted so good. Serves 4.
Ingredients:
Honey syrup:
- 1 cup honey
- 1 cup water
Cocktail:
- 120 ml bourbon
- 30 ml pineapple juice
- 60 ml honey syrup
- 4 tsp Australian BBQ sauce
- ½ tsp honey
- 2 tsp salt
Method:
- To make the honey syrup, dissolve honey into water in a small saucepan over medium heat.
- Allow the honey syrup to cool.
- Combine the bourbon, pineapple juice, cooled honey syrup, and BBQ sauce.
- Meanwhile, prepare four glasses by lining the rims with honey and salt.
- Add ice cubes to each glass and pour the cocktail mixture over the ice — enjoy!
Tips for selecting BBQ sauce
Of course, how tasty your cocktails are will really come down to the quality of your ingredients. With that in mind, here are some top tips for selecting the best BBQ sauce:
- Freshness of ingredients: This is not always considered when we’re talking about bottled condiments, but the freshness of ingredients can play a large role in dictating how the final product tastes. Always opt for brands that prioritise the quality of their ingredients.
- Nutritional content: Many condiments, unfortunately, contain large concentrations of salt and preservatives. Be sure to check the ingredient list before making a purchase to ensure you are not putting your health at risk.
- Look local: It’s always a good idea to support local business, particularly given so many have faced increased challenges over the past eighteen months. Opting to purchase Australian BBQ sauce means that you will be looking after Australian food manufacturers and companies — go you!
