Food and Recipes Dish Salad Grandmama's Homemade Vinaigrette Be the first to rate & review! Christmas hams, party cocktails, elegant layer cakes, and cookout classics fill the Southern family recipe canon, but one of my favorites is a simple vinaigrette from my grandmother. This recipe is so simple, in fact, that I've never bothered to make another salad dressing recipe at home. Grandmama's homemade vinaigrette only takes four ingredients, all of which are pantry staples. Even with so few ingredients, this basic vinaigrette has big flavor payoff. A bit sweet from sugar, a bit acidic from vinegar, a bit spicy from hot sauce, and rounded out with neutral oil, this homemade vinaigrette recipe is the perfect all-purpose salad dressing. Regardless what's in-season as far as salad toppings, this dressing is going to taste good with them.The thing that makes this recipe even easier? The measurements. All you have to remember is ¼, ¼, two, two. One-fourth cup of oil, ¼ tsp hot sauce, 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar, 2 Tbsp sugar. It's impossible to forget, and even people like me who have to calculate tips on an iPhone can double or triple it for a crowd. You can whisk the ingredients together in a bowl or shake them up in a Tupperware container. I've even used a protein shake bottle to take it to potlucks, which is perfect for no-spill traveling, shaking, and serving. —Editorial Assistant, Mary Shannon Wells By Southern Living Test Kitchen Southern Living Test Kitchen The Southern Living Test Kitchen has been publishing recipes since 1970, four years after the first issue of Southern Living Magazine appeared on newsstands. The Southern Living Test Kitchen team includes a team of professionals with deep expertise in recipe development, from pastry chefs and grilling experts to nutritionists and dietitians. Together, the team tests and retests, produces, styles, and photographs thousands of recipes each year in the state-of-the-art test kitchen facility located in Birmingham, Alabama. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Published on September 6, 2019 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: I_rinka/Getty Images Total Time: 5 mins Yield: About 1/4 cup Ingredients 1/4 cup oil* 1/4 teaspoon hot sauce (such as Tabasco) 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar 2 tablespoons sugar Directions Whisk together ingredients in a bowl or shake them up in a salad dressing container. Chef's Notes *Whatever oil you have on hand—canola or vegetable work well or your go-to EVOO Rate it Print