Did you know....

The original sauce upon which 'A.1.' is based was created in 1824 by Henderson William Brand, a chef to King George IV of the United Kingdom. A popular myth has it that the king declared it "A.1." and the name was born. It went into commercial production under the Brand & Co. label in 1831, marketed as a condiment for 'fish, meat and fowl', and continued production under this label after bankruptcy forced ownership of Brand & Co. to be transferred to W.H. Withall in 1850. It was renamed 'A.1.' in 1873, after a trademark dispute between creator Henderson William Brand and Dence & Mason, who had since purchased Brand & Co. from Withall. It continued to be produced by Brand & Co until the late 1950s at the firm's factory in Vauxhall London. It was introduced to the United States in 1895 under the ownership of G.F. Heublein & Brothers and marketed as 'A.1 Steak Sauce'. In 1931, 'A.1.' was introduced to Canada.

Heublein was acquired by R. J. Reynolds in 1982, which merged with Nabisco in 1985 to form RJR Nabisco. In 1999, Kraft Foods acquired Nabisco, including the 'A.1.' brand.

In 2000, the 'A.1.' line of marinades was launched, representing the first expansion of the trademark.

Rock musician and singer Meat Loaf has appeared in a TV commercial for the product, to promote its new slogan: "A.1. — Makes Beef Sing." In the commercial, the slogan is "Makes Meat Loaf Sing," and he sings a very small excerpt from his hit "I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)".

What is in the 'A.1.' sauce that creates that wonderful flavor? 'A.1.' includes tomatoes, raisin paste, distilled vinegar, corn syrup, salt, crushed orange puree, dried garlic and onions, herbs and spices, caramel color, and xanthan gum.

And just so you know, when my husband and I go out for steak and the waiter brings it to our table, then asks us "Do you need any steak sauce?", our answer remains the same "I sure hope not!" J (but I do love the flavor of 'A.1')