TGI Friday’s Jack Daniel’s Dipping Sauce

We were a little surprised by the complexity of TGI Friday’s Jack Daniel’s Dipping Sauce. It’s not really sweet. It does compliment meat flavors very well. We are also amazed at how sparingly TGI Friday’s serves their sauces. You get a tiny little cup of it, and if you want more, you have to pay more.

The wonderful part of our version of this recipe is you can make it in a large quantity and use it to cook beef or chicken on the grill or to dip your favorite foods into.

Chicken fingers and copycat TGI Friday's jack daniels dipping sauce.


Perfect as a Glaze or for Dipping

Use Jack Daniel’s Dipping Sauce as a glaze when you’re cooking beef or chicken on the grill or as a dipping sauce for your favorite foods.

But if you’re grilling, be sure to apply the sauce late in the grilling process (just before taking the meat off the flame) as the sugar in the sauce will burn. And, don’t forget to serve extra on the side.

Was TGI Fridays the First Singles Bar?

The first TGI Fridays opened up in 1965 on First Avenue and 63rd Street in New York City. Alan Stillman, a perfume salesman, started the bar and restaurant because he wanted the chance to get to know the unmarried airline stewardesses and other single women that lived in his neighborhood.

According to legend, Stillman thought up the name TGI Fridays while he was skiing with a friend. He was so furious because his friend had beaten him on the slopes, that he screamed out “Thank goodness it’s Friday!” and thought that it would be a really great name for his restaurant.

Does Every TGI Fridays Have an Airplane Propeller Over the Bar?

Yes, perhaps to continue the airline theme of its beginnings, an airplane propeller is placed in every TGI Fridays bar to symbolize the engine that moves the business.

The business has certainly moved as Fridays currently has over 900 restaurants in around 60 countries. You can read more fun facts about TGI Fridays.

Jack Daniel’s Whiskey Dipping Sauce

You can make this sauce, and it tastes just a good as going to TGI Fridays, and you won’t have to pay for extra. You’ll love this sauce, and you can put it on almost everything!

You can even use it as gravy and pour it onto your mashed potatoes! Your family will become huge fans of this sauce.

Jack Daniels Dipping Sauce Recipe Ingredients

Here’s a list of what you need:

  • Red onion
  • Garlic
  • Water
  • Brown sugar
  • Teriyaki sauce
  • Soy sauce
  • White grape juice
  • Jack Daniel’s Black Label Whiskey
  • Tabasco sauce
Copycat TGI Friday's jack daniels sauce ingredients in bowls.

How to Make TGI Friday’s Jack Daniels Dipping Sauce

  1. Place the ingredients in a saucepan.
Copycat TGI Friday's jack daniels dipping sauce ingredients in a pan.
  1. Stir to combine.
  2. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat.
  3. Reduce heat to low for a slow simmer.
  4. Cook for 35 to 45 minutes, until the sauce has reduced by a third or fourth.
  5. Strain the sauce before serving.
Copycat TGI Friday's jack daniels dipping sauce and chicken fingers on a plate.

How to Store Leftovers

You can keep this sauce in an airtight container for up to a week in your fridge. In fact, it tastes even better if it cools in your fridge for a couple of days. And, you can eat like it’s Friday every day!

A bowl of copycat TGI Friday's jack daniels dipping sauce and chicken fingers.

Love TGI Fridays? Be sure to check out these recipes

Favorite Sauce Recipes

Check out more of my easy sauce recipes and the best copycat recipes for casual dining restaurants here on CopyKat!

Chicken fingers and copycat TGI Friday's jack daniels dipping sauce.

TGI Friday’s Jack Daniel’s Dipping Sauce

Jack Daniel's sauce is perfect for chicken. You can make it at home wih this easy TGI Friday's copycat recipe.
4.86 from 7 votes
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Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Jack Daniels Dipping Sauce, TGI Friday’s Jack Daniel’s Dipping Sauce
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 4
Calories: 226kcal

Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup diced red onion
  • 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup teriyaki sauce
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 1/3 cup white grape juice
  • 1/2 cup Jack Daniel’s Black Label Whiskey
  • 1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce

Instructions

  • Place the ingredients in a saucepan in the order listed. Stir after adding each ingredient.
  • Place on medium heat and stir until it reaches a boil.
  • Turn the heat down to low until the sauce is on a slow simmer.
  • Cook for 35 to 45 minutes. The sauce will have reduced in volume by one-fourth to one-third.
  • Strain the sauce before serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 226kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 0g | Saturated Fat: 0g | Cholesterol: 0mg | Sodium: 1754mg | Potassium: 162mg | Fiber: 0g | Sugar: 33g | Vitamin C: 1.3mg | Calcium: 35mg | Iron: 1mg

About Stephanie Manley

I recreate your favorite restaurant recipes, so you can prepare these dishes at home. I help you cook dinner, and serve up dishes you know your family will love. You can find most of the ingredients for all of the recipes in your local grocery store.

Stephanie is the author of CopyKat.com's Dining Out in the Home, and CopyKat.com's Dining Out in the Home 2.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

    • Kim Gove

      5 stars
      No, you boil this down until it’s half or 2/3 gone, it will thicken as it cools, I alway double it, because you end up with so little.

  1. KC

    Thank you!!! I have been looking for this recipe for a while now! I used to work in a restaurant that had been a TGI Fridays (before I started there) and this was the exact recipe we had, except on a larger scale. I lost the recipe a few years ago and have been hunting for it ever since. I kept coming across the other ones with pineapple and molasses, which we never used, and none of them called for Tabasco and I knew it had that as well.
    Again thank you, you have just made my Christmas. Christmas tradition is grilling steak with Jack sauce, and it hasn’t been the same without it.

  2. ryan

    Just made this sauce and it is almost exactly like the restaurant. Little less brown sugar next time and it will be spot on. And it is onions in the original people.

  3. Jayme

    You can buy this in the UK and other European countries. It’s called Jack Daniel’s Smokey Sweet Barbecue Glaze. Here are the ingredients: Sugar, Water, Soy Sauce (contains Water,Soyabean, Salt, Wheatflour, Sugar, Colour: Caramel,Preservative: Potassium Sorbate), Concentrated PineappleJuice, Dextrose, Cider Vinegar, Molasses, ConcentratedOrange Juice, Modified Cornflour, Jack Daniels Whisky ®(1%), Colour: Ammonia Caramel, Garlic Purée, OnionPurée, Whisky Flavour, Concentrated Onions, Stabiliser:Xanthan Gum, Smoke Flavour, Chilli Powder. Contains:Soya, Wheat, Gluten.

  4. Guest

    I love this sauce! I’m not sure how it’s really suppose to taste. I put this on almost everything! I use it as a gravy and poor it onto my mashed potatoes!

  5. Ege

    Hey,

    I finally tried this sauce at home tonight, bought a bottle of Jack and all the other ingredients… Used it on a contre fillet with basil and parmesan cheese mashed potatoes As a huge fan of this sauce, I have some important comments, so here we go:

    – First of all, the density of the sauce is incredible. While cooking I was afraid it will be too liquid, but in the end of 35th minute, it ended up pretty amazing:) I am actually curious, what ingredient makes it more solid by cooking?

    – About the taste, I think the sauce is TOO sweet. And it is not chilly enough. Also missing a little bit of sourness.

    – From my experiences in Friday’s restaurants, I think the sauce has something like apricot, peach or pineapple. And maybe a pinch of lemon juice. Also I think something like ginger gives it a more chilly flavour.

    I’m gonna attach a picture of my art, thanks anyway, the sauce made my night:) But please consider this a feedback and do something about it 😀

    Hugs from Turkey;)

    • shedizzy

      I made some of this tonight to dip turkey in for thanksgiving and mine came out identical… except I have no idea how to replicate what I did. I tripled the recipe and didn’t have any teriyaki sauce on hand so I looked up a recipe for teriyaki sauce and just free hand dump the ingredients in I used quite a bit of red cooking wine and worchestershire sauce only a tsp of tabasco sauce. only a large splash of soy sauce but no where near a cup. i’d say maybe 4 or 5 tbsp. I added about a table spoon of ginger and a little less garlic salt plus about 4 tbsp. of sesame seed oil. I also used half a bottle of dehydrated onion because I was pressed on time and didn’t want to chop. and last but not least I did use a whole bag of dark brown sugar with at least 2 cups water plus a half cup jack daniels maybe a little more but not a full cup or even 3/4… all in all how I don’t know, but it came out identical… except because I slopped everything together, doubt I can do it again. I just got lucky. p.s I made 3- 8 oz jars for 5 dollars… I called Fridays you can buy it in the back for a dollar an oz.. it comes in a 30 oz bag. the cashier told me 30 plus tax.

      • Riss

        Friday’s doesn’t use pineapple it just seems that way as they use pineapple to garnish a jack dish with

  6. Toria

    The only bit that makes no sense to me is the use of both soy and teriyaki.
    Teriyaki is 3 parts soy, 2 parts mirrin 1 part sake.
    Is it made this way to avoid having to cook off the sake?

      • Mr.Big Pop

        4 stars
        Brown sugar is made by mixing molasses with granulated sugar. So, yes, you could possibly taste some molasses if you used dark brown sugar (not specified in recipe here) and it thickens up enough reducing the water content.

  7. mcmutt

    I made it easier by mixing 1 bottle of Bullseye Old West Hickory bbq sauce, 1/2 c molasses, 1/2 oz Jack Daniel’s, add in the diced onion, simmer for 1/2 hr & voila!!

  8. Litoralis

    Read many variations of the Sauce and or glaze, but a identical match is difficult.
    Try this, it comes close and is a time saver.
    3/4 c KC Masterpiece BBQ sauce
    1 tbsp Honey
    1 oz Jack (or to taste)

    Adjustments:
    Add a little hot water for thinner sauce
    Heat to enhance flavor

    • Me Myself and I

      I just get a bottle of Stubbs, throw some butter and Jack in it, and go from there. May not taste like TGI, but my buttery bourbon bbq sauce is pretty good.

  9. Phil B

    There was an older Copy Cat recipe that used Pineapple juice rather than the grape juice. TGIF makes it that way. Much better.

  10. Carriem

    This is a great copycat. My husband said its better than TGI’s even. The secret is to let it simmer about twice as long as recommended and it’s even better if it cools in your fridge for a couple of days. A definite yes. I love this sauce and so does company!

    • DJDarkGift

      Cools in your fridge? Never put hot food items in the fridge and expect to eat them without getting sick. That’s Cooking 101.

  11. linda

    Has anyone tried this? I really love this sauce at TGI’S & would love to be able to make the real thing at home!

    • admin

      I have tried this recipe 😉 We thought it was good enough to put online. I love finally being able to have “enough” of this sauce to really enjoy.

4.86 from 7 votes (5 ratings without comment)

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