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Sugar and spice and everything nice

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Many people have tried to guess the secret ingredient in Caroline “Cal” Sirkin’s mustard, but her lips are sealed.

“It’s the spicy kick that people seem to like,” she said. “It has just the right balance of sweet and spicy. There’s something about the consistency that’s better [than other mustards].”

Even people who say they don’t usually like mustard have told Sirkin they like it.

It all started with Sirkin’s grandmother, who got the mustard recipe from a friend where she lived in Marblehead, Massachusetts. 

Sirkin started making the mustard more when she started staying home with her kids, who were 9, 7 and 5 when they moved to Mountain Brook 11 years ago. She created batches to give to friends at Christmas each year, just as her mom and grandmother had done. Requests still spike leading up to Christmas and the Super Bowl, and now Sirkin has branded it as Cal’s Sweet & Spicy Mustard, pulling the name from her own nickname, and is packaging it to sell.

Sirkin recommends serving the mustard with grilled Conecuh sausage or pork or mixing it in marinades and salad dressings, spreading it on sandwiches or dipping pretzels in it. It also complements cheese well, she said.  

The process to create the special mustard takes 24 hours. Sirkin mixes some of the ingredients one day and then the next adds more and cooks it before completing the final product.

Now Sirkin is working on a label with nutrition facts and on logistics to use either a commercial kitchen or a packer to produce the mustard on a larger scale. In the meantime, she is working on getting the brand name out and developing recipes using the product. She set up a vendor table at an American Heart Association event at Birmingham Country Club and showcased the mustard at a table at the Village 2 Village Run.

While she has earned her real estate license and started working for Ray & Poynor, Sirkin is also experimenting with a balsamic salad dressing that could be a future Cal’s product. The mustard in it takes the “bite” out of the balsamic vinegar and helps the consistency, she said.  

She has talked with Mountain Brook resident Lori Sours, who created Salsa Senorita, for advice.

“Everyone has been really supportive,” Sirkin said.

Currently, the mustard is on sale at The Pants Store for $4 for a 4-ounce jar or $7 for an 8-ounce jar. For more information, email calsmustard@gmail.com.

More made-in-Mountain Brook products

T-Lish Dressing & Marinade

Salsa Senorita

Holmsted Fines Chutney

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