Sweet drinks like the Red Headed Slut drink are always crowd-pleasers. They go down easy and can be great as a sipping drink if you want your guests to enjoy them longer. It is a bonus if the drink looks good in a glass. That is exactly what the Red Headed Slut cocktail is supposed to be: good lookin’ in a glass.
It comes in a brilliant red color that is perfect for a Valentine’s Day party, a Fourth of July gathering, or just something to sip during a Spring Break rager. Despite its slightly derogatory name, this drink is a popular choice at bars because it looks awesome and tastes great.
So, if you want to serve a good cocktail for your next party, the Red Headed Slut is a good option. It’s pretty versatile too. You can serve it as a shot, a cocktail, or a slushy. This guide also contains an alternate recipe that has a lot of zing to it. Better watch out!
What Is A Red Headed Slut?
This drink gets its name from its color. The red headed slut drink is a bright red cocktail drink that gets its color from cranberry juice. This acts as a base for all the other ingredients. It was reportedly first made at a pub in Ohio back in 2000 – O’Grady’s Pub. It quickly became popular with the college-age crowd because of the controversial name.
Ask any bartender for a red headed slut and he or she will definitely know how to mix it. If you meet the rare bartender who doesn’t know what a red headed slut, try to ask for the Ginger Bitch. The bartender may know it by that name instead. Some people also think of it as the Lindsay Lohan – the drink, not the actress. However, the Lindsay has one additional ingredient which you will learn about later. Patience, my friend.
Red Headed Slut Recipe
Just like some of the other drinks featured here, the red headed slut is made up of just a few ingredients. You will just need a bottle of Jägermeister, a bottle of your favorite peach schnapps, and some cranberry juice. You will need to give it a shake for a minute or so, and then serve it up.
Easy, right?
Here are the exact amounts of the ingredients to make the perfect Red Headed Slut shot:
- 30 ml of cranberry juice
- 15 ml of peach schnapps
- 15 ml of Jägermeister
- A lot of ice
The first thing to do is to combine the Red Headed slut ingredients in your cocktail shaker. Fill the shaker with ice. Shake it until you feel that the mixture has been chilled sufficiently. This should take about a minute or so. Grab your shot glasses and pour the red mixture in. Serve the shots immediately. The drink is at its best while it is still very cold.
Don’t Forget to Give It A Good Shake!
Some bartenders mix shots directly into the shot glass. They simply slosh the liquid ingredients into the small container directly from the bottles. This allows them to make as many shots as possible in the shortest time. Serving alcohol this way is efficient as there are usually a lot of patrons waiting to get served.
This might work for other drinks, but the shaking is not something that you forgo when you are making the Red Headed Slut drink. Why? Because without allowing the ice to melt and dilute the Jägermeister peach schnapps cranberry juice combo, you will end up with a mixture that tastes very similar to cough syrup. Unless your party is hospital-themed, serving shots of cough syrup might not be something you want.
You can add entertainment to your party by showing off your skill handling the cocktail shaker. This way, the shaking is not just functional, but entertaining as well. Practice some cocktail shaking moves before your get-together so you don’t make a fool of yourself in front of your guests. If you are serving more than the red headed slut cocktail in your party, you might want to serve these so you can do more shaker moves:
- Mai Tai
- Cosmopolitan
- Chocolate martini
- New Orleans fizz
- Ward Eight
How Strong is This Drink?
Just like any other sweet-tasting drink that you can get from the bar, the red headed slut can be deceptive. Because it is sweet, you might find your guests sipping it at your party non-stop. This is why it is important that you remind them that the drink can be potent. You don’t want your guests to blame you for giving them the worst hangover of their lives.
What makes the drink potent?
Well, the spirits that you need to make it are not exactly low-proof ones. Regular peach schnapps registers at 15% to 20% ABV. Adding Jägermeister ups that by 35% ABV. So, each shot of the Red Headed Slut drink can really do some damage. If you plan on serving this cocktail at your next gathering, make sure to remind your guests that one to two servings of this drink is enough.
The drink is very sneaky too. After a few sips, you’ll hardly notice that you’re getting tipsy. It might take a few minutes after you completely finish your first drink to start feeling its effect. If you down your Red Headed Slut cocktails too fast, you might end up getting very, very drunk.
This Drink is Great for Small to Large Parties
If you are serving this drink at your party, you might want to make a big batch of the mixture ahead of time. This way, you don’t have to spend too much time building the drink. The Red Headed Slut drink is great because you can make a large batch as long as you keep the right ratio in mind: 1 part for the spirits, 2 parts of the juice. Just make a huge batch of this mixture and keep it in a bottle.
Just pour the prepared mixture into the cocktail shaker, add ice, then shake away. To turn this combo into a sipping drink, serve the mixture on the rocks. Instead of pouring it into shot glasses, just serve them in cocktail glasses.
If you are serving this during a hot day, you can also opt to turn it into slush. Instead of cracked ice, use crushed ice. Bring out the blender and pour in the ingredients, including the ice. Press the pulse button a few times to mix the Red Headed Slut ingredients and ice. Pour this cold beverage into a hurricane glass and top it with peach slices for a garnish.
You can also try pouring the mixture into a container and allowing it to freeze slightly in the freezer. Once it starts freezing, grab a fork and scrape the surface of the mixture to make a cocktail granita. Scoop the ice pieces into a cocktail glass. This would be a great beverage for a summer party. The festive color will also help set the mood of your get-together.
What Type of Ice Should I Use for This Drink?
Now, you have to be very discerning of the type of ice that you use if you do decide to serve the Red Headed Slot cocktail. You can’t just use ice cubes. It will be too chunky and will have a slower dilution rate. Your guests will be sipping on extra-sweet drinks if they drink their cocktails too soon.
You also don’t want to serve the drink using crushed ice unless you are planning to turn the drink into a slush. For this type of drink, you’d want to use cracked ice. It melts faster than ice cubes so it will dilute the mixture faster.
You can buy cracked ice from any convenience store, but you can also make your own. When you freeze your own ice, don’t use tap water. There will be too much debris turning your ice cloudy. Start with water that you will readily drink. Choose purified, distilled, spring, or filtered water. You can use jumbo ice molds to make the ice.
Once frozen, you can use a mallet to crack the ice pieces. Dump the ice from the mold into a bag and pound away. Stop when the ice chunks are the right size for your drinks. Get rid of the small pieces and put the bigger chunks in a cooler. Make enough cracked ice for all the drinks that you plan to serve at the party.
Are There Variations for The Red Headed Slut Drink?
The Ginger Bitch is typically a mixture of Jägermeister, peach schnapps, and cranberry juice. You can serve it on ice in a cocktail glass. You can also shake it in a cocktail shaker with ice and then strain it into shot glasses. There are some bartenders who like giving the drink a slight boost by adding Crown Royal and using vodka that is cranberry-flavored rather than cranberry juice.
Crown Royal is produced and owned by the Diageo company. It is the top-selling blended Canadian whiskey in the US. Crown Royal is creamy and delicately smooth but quite full-bodied. It has hints of vanilla and oak that can make this Red Headed Slut variation a little bolder, more suited for male drinkers. Plus, it has an alcohol content of 35% ABV.
Adding cranberry-flavored vodka instead of juice totally changes the flavor profile of this drink. It goes from mild and sweet to bold and somewhat bitter. Below are the ingredients and steps to make this variation.
You will need:
- 15 ml of peach schnapps
- 15 ml of Jägermeister
- 15 ml Crown Royal
- 15 ml cranberry-flavored vodka (any brand)
- A lot of ice
To make the drink, just dump all the ingredients in the shaker and shake it until the mixture is sufficiently chilled before straining it out into glasses. Some bartenders even add a splash of Southern Comfort to the mix.
The SoCo liqueur puts back a little sweetness into the drink. It also adds more alcohol to the mix. This variation is definitely not for lightweights and people who are not accustomed to downing a large amount of alcohol in one sitting. One serving of this variation is probably enough for people who want to have a buzz but not go home staggering drunk.
There is another, slightly less popular, variation which uses Chambord instead of cranberry juice. This variation is commonly known as the Dirty Red Headed Slut drink. Chambord is a high-end raspberry liqueur that is manufactured in Loire Valley. This place is in the south of Paris.
It is made using blackberries and raspberries, so it has that sweet tanginess that resembles cranberry. The liqueur is sweet and lush. It is also quite expensive. If you want to use this variation for your party, you have to factor this in when you compute for your liquor budget.
In the province of Canada, Prince Edward Island, there is another Red Headed Slut variation that bartenders produce using raspberry soda. People who enjoy sour and sweet drinks prefer this version over the original.
Here are the ingredients for this version:
- 15 ml of Vodka (original or flavored can be used)
- 15 ml of Raspberry cordial
- 15 ml Sour Puss
- Lots of ice
The red color of the drink comes from the raspberry sour puss. This is a raspberry-flavored liqueur that is colored bright reddish-pink. It has a slightly bitter and herbal flavor that can be an acquired taste. The sweetness of the drink and a boost of redness is brought about by the raspberry cordial. This is a sweet mixture of fresh raspberries, lemon juice, and lots of sugar. It was made popular by a mention in the story Anne of Green Gables.
To make the drink, just pour all the ingredients in the cocktail shaker and shake it for about a minute. Serve the shots immediately. You can also mix the ingredients and then pour it over ice. You can garnish this drink with some berries on a toothpick.
What is the Angry Red Headed Slut?
Nope, this is not a guest with red hair that suddenly doesn’t want to be at your party anymore. It is the name of another variation of this drink that not only has a high alcohol content, but bartenders also claim that this drink can have a really strong kick. The secret is in the Fireball Whiskey.
Fireball Cinnamon Whisky is made by Sazerac. It is a combination of cinnamon flavoring, sweeteners, and Canadian whiskey. It has 33% ABV too, so this is not a mild ingredient to add to your drink.
Below is the list of ingredients that you would need to make the Angry Red Headed Slut drink:
- 1 ounce of Jägermeister
- 1 ounce of Peach schnapps (any brand will do)
- 1 ounce of Fireball whiskey
- 2 ounces of cranberry juice
Just pour, shake, and strain the spirits into your cocktail glass that has been filled with ice. Top the drink with the cranberry juice. Put in a straw and serve. This drink goes down a smoothly but has a cinnamon aftertaste that lingers in the mouth long after the shot has been downed.
Is the Red Headed Slut the Same as The Lindsay Lohan?
Some alcohol drinkers confuse this drink with the Lindsay Lohan because the Red Headed Slut ingredients are very similar. You just need to add Coca Cola to the mix, and you get the Lindsay Lohan.
Here are the ingredients:
2/3 ounce of peach schnapps- 2/3 ounce of Jägermeister
- 2/3 ounce of cranberry juice
- A can of Coca-Cola
Prepare a Collins glass by filling it with ice. Add some of the Coca-Cola. Get your cocktail shaker. Pour in the spirits and the cranberry juice. Shake well before pouring the mixture into the cocktail glass. If you want to turn this into shots, put the ice in the shaker instead of the glass.
Give it a good shake until the contents have been chilled well. Strain the mixture into shot glasses. Top with a splash of the soda before serving. The fizz from the soda and the tang from the cranberry juice will make you think that you’re having a party in your mouth.
Conclusion
Mixes that use Jägermeister aren’t exactly known for being the best-tasting shooters in the club. The Red Headed Slut is an exception to this. Not only does it taste sweet, but it also looks awesome. The bright red is perfect for parties with a red theme. You can serve this on Valentine’s Day or during a Fourth of July party.
It is also a great cocktail for spring break get-togethers. But remember, this is not a mild drink. If you do decide to serve this at your party, make sure to warn your guests that this is a potent drink. But if your goal is to get drunk, the Red Headed Slut drink will surely get you there very quickly.
