The one every other sauce gets measured against. Two ingredients if you’re minimalist about it, four if you want it to taste like a restaurant made it.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup cayenne pepper hot sauce (Frank’s RedHot is the classic choice)
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 tsp white vinegar (optional — brightens it up)
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder (optional)
- Pinch of salt
- Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat.
- Whisk in the hot sauce, plus vinegar and garlic powder if using.
- Simmer gently for 2-3 minutes, whisking occasionally, until combined and glossy.
- Remove from heat and toss with wings immediately — the sauce breaks if it sits too long before tossing.
Method
Notes
The 1:1-ish butter-to-hot-sauce ratio (by tablespoon) is the standard starting point — more butter mellows it out, more hot sauce turns up the heat without adding more spice than the bottle already has. This section will get updated with actual notes once it’s been tested here.