The Red Headed Stranger Cocktail Recipe

It was a very rainy 4^th of July in my part of the country and as the day wore on it became increasingly clear that any fireworks I was going to get would have to come from a glass.  I decided to make myself one of my favorite cocktails from a taco and whiskey bar here in Cincinnati called Bakersfield.

If you are ever in Cincinnati I do recommend that you stop by Bakersfield. They have expensive tacos and cheap bourbon (Friday is $3 shots of Four Roses) and in my book that is a winning combination. The focus is on the food, but Bakersfield has a nice selection of American whiskey, tequila, and handful of house cocktails that are very nicely crafted to complement the food. Even though no one has gotten them to share the recipe for the queso dip, they do share some of the cocktail recipes on postcards you can pick up at the bar.

That is how I came to have the recipe for the Red Headed Stranger. This drink brings together three different kinds of fire into one delicious drink. Ginger and bourbon are a great combination but in this drink the addition of cayenne pepper throws a sharp left hook into the mix. It is a spicy cocktail but because each kind of burn comes from very different sources the flavors compliment each other rather than building to an uncomfortable burn.

Here is the recipe so you can have a night with a red headed stranger in your home.

Bakersfield’s Red Headed Stranger

• 2 pinches cayenne pepper
• 1 squeeze of lemon
• 2 dashes Angostura Bitters
• 2 oz Wild Turkey
• 1 oz Domaine de Canton

Add the pepper, lemon, and bitters to the bottom of a shaker and stir to dissolve the pepper. Fill the shaker with ice and add the Wild Turkey and Domaine de Canton and shake until cold. Strain into an ice filled rocks glass and garnish with a piece of candied ginger.