26 cocktail sauce recipes

Slightly potted cocktail franks simmer in a bourbon-spiked sweet-and-tangy sauce of chili sauce, brown sugar and Dijon. A retro chafing-dish party appetizer that disappears off the toothpicks fast.

Bay Head cream cheese spread with curry powder and garlic, mounded and topped with sweet Chinese duck sauce. A 5-minute cocktail party appetizer with surprising sweet-savory complexity.

Slow cooker cocktail weiners simmered in beer until plump, then drained and glazed in barbecue sauce. Three ingredients and zero effort for a crowd-pleasing appetizer.

Cocktail wieners and sausage slices are combined with a tangy and sweet sauce to create a delicious and flavorful dish for a brunch or other gathering.

Thin-sliced cold flank steak marinated overnight in barbecue sauce and red wine, broiled, chilled, and served as a cocktail appetizer on garlic bread baguette slices.

Sesame curried walnuts toasted in sesame oil with curry powder, sesame seeds, and a lemon-hot sauce glaze. An addictive spiced nut snack or cocktail party appetizer.

Appetizers have long been a part of the culinary tradition in Europe, but they're relatively new to America. One of the first to appear in American cookbooks, at the turn of the century, was shrimp cocktail.

Spicy tomato cocktail with grated cucumber, horseradish, Worcestershire, hot sauce, and lemon juice steeped in tomato juice. A virgin Bloody Mary base that chills overnight for bold flavor.

Fish and crawfish mold: a creamy Louisiana-style cold seafood spread blending cooked fish, crawfish tails, cream cheese, wine, and hot sauce. Make ahead, serve on crackers at your next cocktail party.

Party pleaser meatballs: coconut-studded baked meatballs glazed in a sweet-savory sauce of grape jelly, chutney, red wine, and mustard. The retro cocktail-party appetizer that still disappears first from the buffet.