Deadmau5 dips into 'Rick & Morty' phenomenon with Szechuan Sauce handout

TORONTO -- Canadian electronic producer Deadmau5 is riding high on social media's obsession with a fast-food chain's special sauce.

The Niagara Falls, Ont.-raised DJ caused a stir when he surprised fans at a recent Toronto concert with servings of McDonald's elusive Szechuan Sauce.

The limited-edition condiment for chicken nuggets has exploded in popularity after being named in a gag on the animated TV series "Rick & Morty."

Audience members jumped on platforms like Facebook and Twitter to share images of the moment seemingly designed by Deadmau5 to go viral. Boxes of chicken nuggets were stacked together inside the nightclub while tiny plastic cups of the dipping sauce were handed out to hungry patrons.

Deadmau5, whose real name is Joel Zimmerman, was well aware of the phenomenon surrounding Szechuan Sauce. Earlier this summer he caused a stir when he acquired a nearly two-litre bottle of the sauce when its original $15,000 bidder backed out on eBay.

With so much Szechuan Sauce, he decided not to keep the liquid gold all for himself.

"Seemed like the right thing to do considering. I couldn't eat that much sauce," the dance music DJ tweeted after the giveaway. "Happy to share with the horde."

Already the Szechuan Sauce was a hot item. Last weekend, McDonald's underestimated demand for its "super limited" edition sauce offered at selected restaurants. People lined up outside some of the burger joint's U.S. locations but walked away empty-handed.

Their experience isn't far from the storyline on "Rick & Morty," in which Rick obsessively reflects on his nostalgic love of the sauce that was originally created as a promotional tie-in for the 1998 release of Disney's "Mulan."

Asked by one of his fans what he thought of the sauce's taste, Zimmerman offered his own critical take.

"It wasn't bad ... kinda liked it actually," he wrote on Twitter. "Kinda tangy."

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