Sold from 1831 as a condiment for "fish, meat, fowl and game" dishes in the United Kingdom, the makers introduced the product to Canada, and later to the U.S. where it was later marketed as a steak sauce.

In 1824, Henderson William Brand, a chef to King George IV of the United Kingdom, created the original brown sauce on which A.1.

It continued to be produced by Brand & Co. until the late 1970s at the firm's factory in Vauxhall, London[3] until it fell out of favor within the UK domestic market.

[citation needed] In May 2014, Kraft Foods in North America announced it was dropping the word "steak" from the A.1.

Sauce in the US includes tomato purée, raisin paste, spirit vinegar, corn syrup, salt, crushed orange purée, dried garlic and onions, spice, celery seed, caramel color, potassium sorbate, and xanthan gum.

[9] The 'Original' A1 recipe exported to the USA dramatically differs from the versions sold in the UK and in Canada.

Sauce in Canada includes tomato purée, marmalade, raisins, onions, garlic, malt vinegar, sugar, salt, tragacanth, spices and flavorings.

in the United States was the subject of a trademark dispute between then-owners RJR Nabisco and Arnie Kaye of Westport, Connecticut, whose International Deli was producing and selling its own recipe condiment under the name "A.2.

[10][11] Rock musician and singer Meat Loaf appeared in a TV commercial for the product, to promote its new slogan: "A.1.—Makes beef sing".