cocktail sauce: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
B1Informal, Culinary
Quick answer
What does “cocktail sauce” mean?
A cold sauce, typically pinkish-orange in colour, made primarily from ketchup or tomato purée and horseradish, often with lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, and spices, served as a condiment with seafood, especially prawns.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
A cold sauce, typically pinkish-orange in colour, made primarily from ketchup or tomato purée and horseradish, often with lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, and spices, served as a condiment with seafood, especially prawns.
Any sauce served with a cocktail, either alcoholic (e.g., a Bloody Mary mix) or non-alcoholic (e.g., a fruit-based dip). In a culinary context, it can also refer to a specific style of cold, piquant sauce used as a dip or accompaniment.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
In the UK, 'cocktail sauce' for seafood is common, but 'Marie Rose sauce' is a near-synonymous term often used interchangeably, especially for prawn cocktail. In the US, 'cocktail sauce' is the standard term; 'Marie Rose' is rarely used.
Connotations
In both varieties, it strongly connotes 1970s-80s dining and classic appetisers like prawn/shrimp cocktail. It can have slightly dated or retro connotations.
Frequency
High frequency in culinary contexts in both varieties. Slightly more common in the US due to the enduring popularity of shrimp cocktail as an appetiser.
Grammar
How to Use “cocktail sauce” in a Sentence
[NP] + with + cocktail sauce[NP] + dipped in + cocktail sauce[NP] + served + with a side of cocktail sauceVocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “cocktail sauce” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- The chef will cocktail the prawns, serving them with a classic sauce.
- [Rare/Non-standard]
American English
- [Rare/Non-standard as a verb]
adverb
British English
- [No standard adverbial use]
American English
- [No standard adverbial use]
adjective
British English
- We ordered the cocktail prawns.
- It's a cocktail-style sauce.
American English
- She made a cocktail shrimp platter.
- He prefers a cocktail-sauce flavour.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Used in hospitality, catering, and food manufacturing contexts (e.g., 'We need to order more cocktail sauce for the banquet.').
Academic
Rare, except in historical or cultural studies of food (e.g., 'The prawn cocktail represented a certain postwar British modernity.').
Everyday
Common in home cooking, restaurant menus, and social gatherings (e.g., 'Could you pass the cocktail sauce for the prawns?').
Technical
Used in culinary arts and recipe development (e.g., 'The acidity of the cocktail sauce should balance the fat of the seafood.')
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “cocktail sauce”
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “cocktail sauce”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “cocktail sauce”
- Using 'cocktail sauce' to refer to any sauce served in a small dish (a 'dipping sauce').
- Confusing it with 'tartare sauce' (which is mayonnaise-based with pickles) or 'remoulade'.
- Misspelling as 'cocktail souce'.
- Assuming it contains alcohol.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No, standard seafood cocktail sauce does not contain alcohol. The name 'cocktail' refers to the 'prawn/shrimp cocktail' dish it accompanies, not an alcoholic drink.
They are very similar. Marie Rose sauce (UK) typically includes mayonnaise as a base along with ketchup, giving it a creamier, pinker colour. American-style cocktail sauce is usually ketchup-based with horseradish, yielding a redder, spicier, and less creamy result.
While its primary pairing is seafood, it can be used as a dip for vegetables like celery or as a condiment for fried foods like potato wedges, though this is less common.
It is generally uncountable (e.g., 'I need some cocktail sauce'). It can become countable when referring to types or servings (e.g., 'The restaurant offers three different cocktail sauces').
A cold sauce, typically pinkish-orange in colour, made primarily from ketchup or tomato purée and horseradish, often with lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, and spices, served as a condiment with seafood, especially prawns.
Cocktail sauce is usually informal, culinary in register.
Cocktail sauce: in British English it is pronounced /ˈkɒkteɪl ˌsɔːs/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˈkɑːkteɪl ˌsɔːs/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “[No common idioms for this specific compound noun]”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of a fancy COCKTAIL party where they serve PRAWNS with a special pink SAUCE. Cocktail + Sauce = the pink dip for party prawns.
Conceptual Metaphor
SAUCE IS AN ACCOMPANIMENT / SAUCE IS A DRESSING (It 'clothes' or complements the plain seafood).
Practice
Quiz
What is the primary defining ingredient of a standard American cocktail sauce for shrimp?