bitters
Cocktailpunk cocktail bitters are handmade in very small batches in Boulder, Colorado. Our bitters do not include any sugar, caramel, or added sweetener of any kind, nor is there any coloring, artificial or otherwise. We believe that bitters should be just that, bitter, and ours do not add any confusing sweetness. A great cocktail incorporates spirits with sweet, sour, and bitter components to achieve a harmonious balance, and Cocktailpunk bitters are designed do their part with great accuracy.
All our bitters are fabulous alone in cold sparkling water, and very useful for balancing often-too-sweet non-alcoholic cocktails.
Shipping: All orders ship USPS Priority with a $7.00 flat rate.
SATURNALIA cocktail bitters
Saturnalia was an ancient Roman festival held in December in honor of Saturn. Comforting seasonal flavors of cranberry, toasted walnut, and citrus will supercharge your toddies and provide a mysterious counterpoint to modern gins. A seasonal bitters in the truest sense fo the word 2.0 oz., 50% A.B.V.
OAK AROMATIC cocktail bitters
Made in collaboration with Bryan Dayton, barman extraordinaire and owner of Oak at fourteenth, Acorn, Brider, and Corrida. A dark, smoky take on aromatic bitters, this one features charred oak chips and toasted spices. Perfection in a Manhattan. 2.0 oz., 46.2% A.B.V.
LAVENDER cocktail bitters
Made with organic lavender grown in Palisade, on Colorado's Western Slope. Clear lavender notes sing out, with subtle undertones of ginger and citrus. 2.0 oz., 50% A.B.V.
See all cocktails featuring Lavender Cocktail Bitters.
COLORADO SET cocktail bitters
The long-awaited collection of all-Colorado flavors, made possible by the introduction of our newest Lavender. Set contains one bottle each of Colorado Lavender, Colorado Cherry, and Palisade Peach in an attractive gift box. 3 x 2.0 oz., 50% A.B.V.
CHERRY cocktail bitters
A cherry bomb, targeted directly at (your) Manhattan. Vibrant cherry, a hint of vanilla, and subtle spice complements the oak flavors in dark spirits, but the flavor profile is simple enough to use wherever a touch of cherry is needed. You'll never need a barspoon of syrup from the Luxardo jar again. 2.0 oz., 50% A.B.V.
See all cocktails featuring Cherry Cocktail Bitters.
ORANGE cocktail bitters
Why another orange bitters? Because bitter orange is a fundamental flavor that is essential in a wide range of cocktails. Ours is an elemental orange flavor, complemented by fennel and layered anise notes. Perfect in a Martini, but also at home with almost any spirit. 2.0 oz., 50% A.B.V.
See all cocktails featuring Orange Cocktail Bitters.
AROMATIC cocktail bitters
The old-school workhorse. Our version of the go-to bitters, a base of baking spice is enlivened by bracing cardamom and anise notes. Use wherever standard bitters are indicated, but revel in the lack of gratuitous sweeteners and colorings. These Aromatic Bitters are perfect alone, but also work beautifully in combination with our Orange or Cherry Bitters. 2.0 oz., 50% A.B.V.
See all cocktails featuring Aromatic Cocktail Bitters.
SMOKED ORANGE cocktail bitters
Smoked Orange is the new black. Orange zest is cold-smoked with alderwood, and the result is smoky but not overly intense; a finishing touch of mint adds interest. Built for and absolutely killer in tequila and mezcal drinks, but there are also unexpected and wonderful effects in combination with darker spirits. 2.0 oz., 50% A.B.V.
See all cocktails featuring Smoked Orange Cocktail Bitters.
PASTICHE cocktail bitters
Every culture has one: an anise-flavored spirit like Absinthe, Pastis, Sambuca, or Ouzo. Such spirits are widely used in cocktails and tiki drinks. a wash here, a barspoon there, and the result is often a subtle, mysterious accent. Pastiche provides the same results in just a few squeezes, with layered anise, fennel, and licorice flavors. We don't suggest you fake a Sazerac with it, but you get the idea. 2.0 oz., 50% A.B.V.
See all cocktails featuring Pastiche Cocktail Bitters.
ALPINO cocktail bitters
Amaro cocktails are all the rage, and Alpino delivers the flavors of a Mountain Amaro in a bitter, convenient, and easy-to-control format. The sage, mint, and herbal flavors can stand in for Amaro and herbal liqueurs in cocktails, but these bitters are useful and very versatile on their own. 2.0 oz., 50% A.B.V.
See all cocktails featuring Alpino Cocktail Bitters.
COLORADO CHERRY cocktail bitters
Made from beautiful Montmorency sour cherries from the Western Slope. Lighter than our regular Cherry Bitters, they are feminine, elegant, perfumed. 50% A.B.V.
See all cocktails featuring Colorado Cherry Cocktail Bitters.
PALISADE PEACH cocktail bitters
Made with organic peaches grown in Palisade, on Colorado�s Western Slope. Very subtle baking spices complement the rich fruit flavors. A great friend to bourbon, and unbelievable in the neglected classic Trident cocktail. 50% A.B.V.
See all cocktails featuring Palisade Peach Cocktail Bitters.
MORNING GRAPEFRUIT cocktail bitters
Zesty grapefruit flavors, but with a pronounced aromatic backbone and a touch of juniper. Inspired by an eccentric uncle who enjoyed the old Southern habit of a breakfast grapefruit half with sugar and bitters added. A seasonal bitters made only in peak grapefruit season. 2.0 oz., 50% A.B.V.
See all cocktails featuring Morning Grapefruit Cocktail Bitters.
BASIC SET cocktail bitters
The basic building blocks for your bar, and at a great price. Set contains one bottle each of Cherry, Orange, and Aromatic Bitters in an attractive gift box. 3 x 2.0 oz., 50% A.B.V.
ENTHUSIAST SET cocktail bitters
Power tools for your bar, at an attractive discount. Set contains one bottle each of Smoked Orange, Alpino, and Pastiche Bitters in an attractive gift box. 3 x 2.0 oz., 50% A.B.V.
CITRUS SET cocktail bitters
Luscious and unusual citrus flavors. Set contains one bottle each of Orange, Morning Grapefruit, and Smoked Orange Bitters in an attractive gift box. 3 x 2.0 oz., 50% A.B.V.
TRAVELER SET cocktail bitters
Get to know Cocktailpunk. Set contains one sample-sized bottle each of our Basic and Enthusiast flavors in an attractive box with recipe card. TSA-approved! 6 x 0.5 oz., 50% A.B.V.
MEGA SET cocktail bitters
For the completeist (you know who you are), the mega-ultra-ninja set is here! One of every Basic and Enthusiast flavor, plus three of our seasonal or limited editions. Nine bottles in all at a special price. 9 x 2.0 oz., 50% A.B.V.
LOGO HIGHBALL GLASS
Our logo highball glass is suitable for many things: cooling Gin-Tonics, Campari Sodas, perfect Japanese Whiskey Highballs Mizuwari-style, even iced tea. 12 ounces is the perfect size.
Cocktail Bitters Set
Tobin Ludwig and Eduardo Simeon, Jomaree Pinkard
Tobin Ludwig and Eduardo Simeon, Jomaree Pinkard
Shaken & Stirred
Give your at-home tipples a cocktail lounge finish with this set of aromatic bitters by Tobin Ludwig, Eduardo Simeon & Jomaree Pinkard, made from natural ingredients ranging from grapefruit to caramel to ginger. Each of the five small-batch bitters are formulated with a particular spirit in mind, from citrus-kissed vodka to a spicy bourbon, letting even beginner bartenders hone their specialty cocktail. Handmade in Queens, New York.
Made in New York
Tobin Ludwig, Eduardo Simeon and Jomaree Pinkard create a variety of handcrafted goods that raise the bar on imbibing and culinary experiences. The trio crafts in small batches with the finest ingredients available, the resulting quality is no coincidence. They started testing out batches in Brooklyn a few years back and their passion for quality has been there since the beginning. What started as a weekend project has grown to a full-time production in pursuit of delicious flavors.
Still haven't found the details you're looking for? Check out our Product Q&A!
Please note: This item is not available to ship outside of the U.S.
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(based on 2 reviews)
Reviewed by 2 customers
( 1 of 1 customers found this review helpful)
delicious, and easily turned into 5 personalized gifts
Comments about UncommonGoods Cocktail Bitters Set :
Tasty, and makes a very cute personalized small gift when you customize a cocktail recipe to the recipient using one of bitters.
Service and delivery comments:
Prompt, good condition.
Bottom Line Yes, I would recommend this to a friend
( 1 of 1 customers found this review helpful)
Was this review helpful? Yes / No
( 3 of 3 customers found this review helpful)
Fun flavors, broken bottle :(
from Seattle WA
Comments about UncommonGoods Cocktail Bitters Set :
Loved the communication received from this site regarding where the package was in the shipment process. Unfortunately, one of the bottles of bitters broke sometime in the process.
- Was this a gift?:
- Yes
Bottom Line Yes, I would recommend this to a friend
( 3 of 3 customers found this review helpful)
Was this review helpful? Yes / No
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Cocktail Bitters
What Bitters Are
The bitters family tree includes European digestive bitters that are consumed by the glass, and high-octane patent medicines that were hawked with dubious health claims. Bitters entered the boozy vernacular in 1806, when an early definition of “cocktail” included bitters as one of the key components. Over the following decades, many styles entered circulation, with brands such as Boker’s, Abbott’s, Stoughton’s and Drake’s Plantation Bitters deployed in countless cocktails, along with two brands that survive today—Angostura and Peychaud’s. In addition to commercial brands, barkeepers across the country commonly prepared their own house styles of bitters. But by the end of the late 20th century, bitters were a forgotten extra in the grand show of mixology. “There was that crusty bottle of Angostura on every bar’s shelf, and who knew how long that had been there,” Brown says. “Peychaud’s Bitters were even less available.”
Today that situation has dramatically changed. The modern bitters selection includes re-creations of vintage recipes and contemporary takes on classic styles, as well as bitters from a new generation of producers who are as likely to reach for hot chiles, roasted cacao nibs, celery seed or lavender flowers as they are for tradtional ingredients, making the bitters available to today’s bartenders an embarrassment of riches. “Almost any flavor of bitters is available online or is distributed locally,” says Brown, who uses a dozen styles of bitters at The Passenger, and more than 30 styles at the Columbia Room, many of which are made locally or crafted in house. “I’m pretty enthusiastic about how it’s changed.”
For cocktails made with aged spirits, such as whiskey or brandy, or robust ingredients, such as sweet vermouth, the best bitters are usually from the class known as “aromatic.” Most aromatic bitters have familiar spice flavors—cinnamon, cloves and cardamom, along with vanilla and leather notes if they’re oak-aged—that share common ground with aged spirits in classics like a Manhattan or Old Fashioned. “A lot of the flavors in aromatic bitters are found in whiskey and vermouth,” says Giuseppe Gonzalez, co-owner of Painkiller, a tiki bar in Manhattan. Gonzalez says that when these full-flavored ingredients meet in a mixing glass, each surrenders some of its character, but by adding aromatic bitters, those subtle nuances are restored. “There’s a natural marriage of flavors between the ingredients, and the bitters bring everything together,” he says. “They bump up the flavor of the whiskey to where it should be, and it enhances the flavors that are already there.”
The longtime regent of aromatic bitters is Angostura, produced since 1824 from a secret recipe and packaged with a densely worded paper label that seems too big for the bottle. Recently plagued by distribution problems, Angostura is usually widely available, and until recently it was the only aromatic bitters sold in most regions of the country. Similarly venerable is Peychaud’s Bitters, a softer, more floral style introduced in New Orleans around 1830. Instead of the usual winter-spice profile, Peychaud’s has a rich anise-laden flavor that works exceptionally well in New Orleans classics, such as the Sazerac and Vieux Carré, as well as with Scotch whisky in such drinks as the Flying Scotsman.
The past few years have seen an aromatic bonanza, as brands such as Fee Bros. Old-Fashion Aromatic Bitters (and another Fee’s style, aged in used whiskey barrels) have become more widely available. Bitters experienced a further boost starting in 2006, when German bartenders Stephan Berg and Alexander Hauck launched The Bitter Truth with a line that included spice-rich aromatic bitters and Jerry Thomas Decanter Bitters, based on a recipe from the 19th-century bartender. “In the old days they had so many different types of aromatic bitters,” Berg says. “We wanted to extend the understanding of these kinds of bitters, and we thought it wouldn’t hurt if we had a second style so people could make their choice, and to give some credit to the most famous bartender of the 19th century.”
Adding to the reappearance of vintage styles of aromatic bitters, last year Scottish bartender Adam Elmegirab introduced a re-creation of Boker’s Bitters, a brand that originally debuted in 1828 and was key to such drinks as the Japanese Cocktail and the Martinez, but which has been out of production since the 1920s.
While aromatic bitters are synonymous with 19th-century classic cocktails, they’re also an essential component in exotic drinks, such as those from tiki pioneer Donn Beach, who combined Angostura with Pernod as a secret signature in such drinks as the Test Pilot and the Zombie. At the tiki-themed Painkiller, Gonzalez gives a Queen’s Park Swizzle an aromatic boost by dashing Angostura on top of the drink. Such an ardent advocate for bitters that he developed the Trinidad Sour—a concept-warping drink that’s based on a full ounce of Angostura—Gonzalez says that even in complex exotic drinks made with multiple rums and tropical juices, bitters can be essential to centering a drink’s flavor. “Especially in a drink with three rums, cinnamon syrup, grenadine, absinthe and falernum,” he says, “you need one ingredient that can bring everything together.”
Almost defunct as a style only a few years, ago, orange bitters are now available from several producers. For several years, Fee Bros. kept the style alive with their West Indian Orange Bitters, which has a soft, citrusy flavor. Then in 2005 they were joined by Regans’ Orange Bitters No. 6, a crisp and spicy bitters developed by bartender and drinks writer Gary Regan. The Bitter Truth introduced an orange bitters in 2006, and in 2008 Angostura added to its product line with an orange bitters that has an assertive natural-orange flavor and an impressively complex depth.
While aromatic bitters share many flavor characteristics with aged spirits, such as whiskey, orange bitters seem tailor-made for the airy herbaceousness of gin (it was a staple ingredient in Martinis during the cocktail’s first five decades). Orange bitters also have a particular affinity for herbal liqueurs, such as Chartreuse, and appear in such drinks as the gin-based Bijou and the intensely floral Alaska Cocktail. While the spice notes of aromatic bitters often make them a better accent in drinks made with bourbon or rye, Brown says orange bitters help balance the heaviness of Scotch whisky when used in cocktails like the Rob Roy.
Recently, orange has been joined by other citrus flavors in the bitters category, including grapefruit versions from Fee Bros. and Bittermens Bitters. The Bittermens grapefruit bitters use an ingredient familiar to craft-beer drinkers: Pacific Northwest hops. “The hops give the bitters a nice, green, vegetal taste, but also some flavor tenacity,” says co-founder Avery Glasser. “If you think about a hoppy Northwest IPA, that flavor hangs in your mouth for a while, much longer than if you drink grapefruit juice.” In addition to such drinks as the gin-based Charles Lindbergh from Boston bartender Jackson Cannon, Glasser says a favored use for these bitters is to dash them into a gin and tonic along with a splash of maraschino liqueur.
The craft-cocktail revival has been accompanied by a flood of new spirits and flavors, some requiring a re-imagining of bitters. While living in San Francisco in 2007, Glasser and his wife, Janet, had the idea of creating a tequila-friendly bitters for a Mexico-born bartender at Bacar restaurant. Free-associating their way toward a flavor, the Glassers settled on a style with the rich, spicy character of molé. “I combined classic bitter theory with new flavors,” Avery says. “Classic bitters have cinchona and angelica and gentian, which are standard European digestive bitters components; but we also used Mexican-style cacao, Mexican cinnamon and hot pepper. I don’t think anyone’s used hot pepper flakes in a classic bitters recipe.”
While developing what became Bittermens Xocolatl Mole Bitters, the Glassers became part of a growing number of producers who are creating new styles. In Vermont, Urban Moonshine makes bitters with the richness of maple syrup; Maine-based Sweetgrass Farm Winery & Distillery makes brightly flavored cranberry and blueberry bitters; Jamaican Bitters based on rum and flavored with Caribbean spices are made by Milwaukee-based Bittercube, from bartenders Nicholas Kosevich and Ira Koplowitz; and Boudreau’s Bitters, from Seattle bartender Jamie Boudreau, features a bright and lush Cherry Bitters.
Also in Seattle, bartender Miles Thomas has been making Scrappy’s Bitters since 2008. Thomas now sells styles ranging from a classic orange to lavender, chocolate and cardamom. While his emphasis is on bitters that feature a single flavor, each style requires the use of multiple ingredients such as grains of paradise, angelica root, horehound and mace. “Most of the time, one flavor has multiple components, so something like cardamom can taste like a couple of different things,” he says.
Other novel flavors continue to appear on the bar. The Bitter Truth released a celery bitters in 2008 that quickly became a favorite in savory gin and tequila cocktails. This year the company introduced a Creole Bitters that has an anise-laden richness. This summer, the Glassers introduced two new styles of Bittermens Bitters: a citrus- and ginger-accented Elemakule Tiki Bitters made for tropical-style rum cocktails; and Boston Bittahs, flavored with citrus and chamomile and designed to work with gin.
For Brown, the array of available bitters has opened a new frontier of flavor. “You can look at drinks analytically and come up with new flavor combinations that are excellent,” he says. “Now you can ask, ‘What are the best bitters for this cocktail?’ rather than, ‘What are the only bitters available for this cocktail?’ “
Paul Clarke is Imbibe's Executive Editor and the author of The Cocktail Chronicles: Navigating the Cocktail Renaissance With Jigger, Shaker & Glass, released in July of 2015. He believes in the importance of a diverse liquid diet.
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Cocktail bitters
Bitters are as old as cocktails, but Cocktailpunk looks to the future, not the past. Our goal is simple: to create compelling accents for the modern cocktail. Cocktailpunk cocktail bitters are a carefully chosen set of basic elements that are focused and nuanced, simple yet devious. They are perfect in classic cocktails, but were really designed for the cocktails that haven't been invented yet.
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New Products
Saturnalia, our seasonal bitters with the comforting flavors of cranberry, toasted walnut, and citrus.
Oak Aromatic, Bryan Dayton's dark, smoky take on aromatic bitters.
Bitters Drinks
Drinks containing Bitters
Choose from 237 drink recipes containing Bitters.
Learn more about Bitters in the drink dictionary!
Americana (Cocktail) Bitters, Champagne, Sugar, Tennessee Whiskey Angler's Cocktail (Cocktail) Bitters, Gin, Grenadine, Orange Bitters Artillery (Cocktail) Bitters, Gin, Sweet Vermouth Aruba Rum Punch (Cocktail) Bacardi White Rum, Bitters, Grenadine, Mount Gay Barbados Rum, Myer's Rum, Orange Juice, Pineapple Juice, Sour Mix Aunt Agatha (Cocktail) Bitters, Dark Rum, Orange Juice Autumn Manhattan (Martini) Applejack, Bitters, Bourbon Whiskey, Sweet Vermouth Bahama Mama #2 (Cocktail) Bitters, Grenadine, Nassau Orange, Orange Juice, Pineapple Juice, Ronrico White Rum Balmoral (Cocktail) Bitters, Dry Vermouth, Scotch, Sweet Vermouth Basic Bill (Cocktail) Anejo Rum, Bitters, Dubonnet Rouge Aperitif Wine, Grand Marnier Bastardo (Cocktail) Bitters, Brandy, Club Soda, Dry Vermouth, Sweet Vermouth Beaded Lady (Cocktail) Bitters, Gin, Lime Juice, Pineapple Juice, Skyy Infusions Passion Fruit Vodka, Soda Water, Triple Sec Bengal (Cocktail) Bitters, Brandy, Maraschino Liqueur, Pineapple Juice, Triple Sec Bermuda Rum Swizzle (Cocktail) Bitters, Gosling's Black Seal Rum, Gosling's Gold Rum, Grenadine, Orange Juice, Pineapple Juice Bernardo (Cocktail) Bitters, Gin, Lemon Juice, Triple Sec Bitters Highball (Cocktail) Bitters, Ginger Ale Bittersweet Cocktail (Cocktail) Bitters, Dry Vermouth, Orange Bitters, Sweet Vermouth Bloody Molly (Cocktail) Bitters, Celery Salt, Horseradish, Jameson Irish Whiskey, Pepper, Rose's Lime Juice, Salt, Tabasco Sauce, Tomato Juice, Worcestershire Sauce Blue Bird (Cocktail) Bitters, Gin, Triple Sec Bluebird (Cocktail) Bitters, Blue Curacao, Gin, Triple Sec Boomerang #1 (Cocktail) Bitters, Dry Vermouth, Gin, Maraschino Liqueur Bourbon Old-Fashioned (Cocktail) Bitters, Bourbon Whiskey, Sugar Cube, Water Bourbon Swizzle (Cocktail) Bitters, Bourbon Whiskey, Club Soda, Lemon Juice, Superfine Sugar Bourbon Toddy (Cocktail) Bitters, Bourbon Whiskey, Sugar Cube, Water Brandy Cocktail #1 (Cocktail) Bitters, Brandy, Sugar Syrup Brandy Crusta Cocktail (Cocktail) Bitters, Brandy, Lemon Juice, Maraschino Liqueur, Triple Sec Brandy Swizzle (Cocktail) Bitters, Brandy, Club Soda, Lime Juice, Superfine Sugar Brandy Vermouth Cocktail (Cocktail) Bitters, Brandy, Sweet Vermouth Brazil Cocktail (Cocktail) Anis, Bitters, Dry Sherry, Dry Vermouth Buffalo in Manhattan (Cocktail) Bitters, Buffalo Trace Bourbon, Sweet Vermouth Bulleit Bourbon Perfect Manhattan (Cocktail) Bitters, Bulleit Bourbon, Dry Vermouth, Maraschino Cherries, Sweet Vermouth Bushranger (Cocktail) Bitters, Dubonnet Rouge Aperitif Wine, White Rum C 2 (Cocktail) Agave Nectar, Bitters, Courvoisier Cognac VSOP, Courvoisier Rose, Lime Juice C2 (Cupid's Cocktail) (Cocktail) Agave Nectar, Bitters, Courvoisier Cognac VSOP, Courvoisier Rose, Lime Juice Cabaret (Cocktail) Benedictine, Bitters, Dry Vermouth, Gin Cactus Bite (Cocktail) Bitters, Drambuie Liqueur, Lemon Juice, Superfine Sugar, Tequila, Triple Sec Canadian Cocktail (Cocktail) Bitters, Canadian Whisky, Powdered Sugar, Triple Sec Canado Saludo (Cocktail) Bitters, Grenadine, Lemon Juice, Orange Juice, Pineapple Juice, White Rum Captains Coffee (Cocktail) Bitters, Captain Morgan's Spiced Rum, Kahlua Cartwheel (Cocktail) Bitters, Lime, Powdered Sugar, Tuaca Celtic Mix Cocktail (Cocktail) Bitters, Irish Whiskey, Lemon Juice, Scotch Champagne Cocktail #1 (Cocktail) Bitters, Champagne, Sugar Cube Champs Elysees Cocktail (Cocktail) Bitters, Brandy, Lemon, Powdered Sugar, Yellow Chartreuse Charles Cocktail (Cocktail) Bitters, Brandy, Sweet Vermouth Chicago Cocktail (Cocktail) Bitters, Brandy, Triple Sec Chinese Cocktail #1 (Cocktail) Bitters, Grenadine, Jamaica Rum, Maraschino Liqueur, Triple Sec Choker (Cocktail) Bitters, Pernod Absinthe, Scotch Clog (Punch) Bitters, Brandy, Claret, Sherry, Sugar Coffee Old-Fashioned (Cocktail) Bitters, Bourbon Whiskey, Club Soda, Instant Coffee, Powdered Sugar, Water Combo (Cocktail) Bitters, Brandy, Dry Vermouth, Powdered Sugar, Triple Sec Crusta (Cocktail) Bitters, Brandy, Curacao, Lemon Juice, Maraschino Liqueur Cruzan Mojito (Cocktail) Bitters, Club Soda, Cruzan Estate Light Rum Two Years, Lime Juice, Mint, Simple Syrup Cruzan New Fashion (Cocktail) Bitters, Club Soda, Cruzan Aged Dark Rum, Orange, Sugar Dead Bastard (Cocktail) Bitters, Bourbon Whiskey, Brandy, Gin, Ginger Ale, Lime Juice, Rum Devil Cocktail #2 (Cocktail) Bitters, Brandy, Curacao, French Vermouth Dickie Ward (Cocktail) Bitters, Ginger Ale, Scotch Diplomat (Cocktail) Bitters, Dry Vermouth, Maraschino Liqueur, Sweet Vermouth Dixie Whiskey Cocktail (Cocktail) Bitters, Bourbon Whiskey, Powdered Sugar, Triple Sec, White Creme de Menthe Doctor Dawson (Cocktail) Bitters, Club Soda, Egg, Lemon Juice, Superfine Sugar, Tequila Doralto (Cocktail) Bitters, Lemon Juice, Superfine Sugar, Tequila, Tonic Water Du Barry Cocktail (Cocktail) Anis, Bitters, Dry Vermouth, Gin Dubonnet Cocktail (Cocktail) Bitters, Dubonnet Rouge Aperitif Wine, Gin Dying Bastard (Cocktail) Bitters, Brandy, Gin, Ginger Ale, Lime Juice, Rum Early Autumn (Cocktail) Apple Cider, Bitters, Bombay Sapphire Gin, Ginger Beer, Lemon Juice, Lucid Absinthe Superieure, Pear Brandy East India Cocktail #1 (Cocktail) Bitters, Brandy, Jamaica Rum, Pineapple Juice, Triple Sec East India Cocktail #3 (Cocktail) Bitters, Dry Sherry, Dry Vermouth East India Cocktail #4 (Cocktail) Bitters, Brandy, Curacao, Pineapple Juice El Presidente Cocktail #2 (Cocktail) Bitters, Dry Vermouth, White Rum Emerald #3 (Cocktail) Bitters, Cork Gin, Green Creme de Menthe Emerald Isle Cocktail (Cocktail) Bitters, Gin, Green Creme de Menthe Estridentista (Cocktail) Anchos Reyes Chile Liqueur, Bitters, Dry Vermouth, St-Germain Elderflower Liqueur Fallen Angel (Cocktail) Bitters, Gin, Lemon, White Creme de Menthe Fancy Bourbon (Cocktail) Bitters, Bourbon Whiskey, Superfine Sugar, Triple Sec Fancy Brandy (Cocktail) Bitters, Brandy, Powdered Sugar, Triple Sec Fancy Gin (Cocktail) Bitters, Gin, Powdered Sugar, Triple Sec Fancy Scotch (Cocktail) Bitters, Scotch, Superfine Sugar, Triple Sec Fancy Whiskey (Cocktail) Bitters, Blended Scotch Whisky, Powdered Sugar, Triple Sec Farmer Giles (Cocktail) Bitters, Dry Vermouth, Gin, Sweet Vermouth Farmer's Cocktail (Cocktail) Bitters, Dry Vermouth, Gin, Sweet Vermouth Fine and Dandy Cocktail (Cocktail) Bitters, Gin, Lemon Juice, Triple Sec Flying Scotchman (Cocktail) Bitters, Scotch, Sugar Syrup, Sweet Vermouth Flying Scotsman (Cocktail) Bitters, Scotch, Sugar Syrup, Sweet Vermouth Fox River Cocktail (Cocktail) Bitters, Blended Scotch Whisky, Brown Creme de Cacao Fragolie Free (Cocktail) Bitters, Gin, Pineapple Juice, Sparkling Wine, Toschi Fragoli Liqueur Gin and Bitters (Cocktail) Bitters, Gin Gin and Pink (Cocktail) Bitters, Gin, Tonic Water Gin Cocktail (Cocktail) Bitters, Gin Gin Swizzle (Cocktail) Bitters, Club Soda, Gin, Lime Juice, Superfine Sugar Golf Cocktail (Cocktail) Bitters, Dry Vermouth, Gin Green Dragon (Cocktail) Bitters, Dry Gin, Green Creme de Menthe, Kummel, Lemon Juice Greenbriar (Cocktail) Bitters, Dry Sherry, Dry Vermouth Gunner (Non-Alcoholic) Bitters, Ginger Ale, Ginger Beer Haidin-Haidin (Cocktail) Bitters, Dry Vermouth, White Rum Harvard Cocktail (Cocktail) Bitters, Brandy, Grenadine, Lemon Juice, Sweet Vermouth Hat Trick #2 (Cocktail) Bitters, Dry Vermouth, White Rum Headless Horseman (Cocktail) Bitters, Ginger Ale, Vodka Heart-Shaped World (Cocktail) Bitters, Level Vodka, Maple Syrup, Orange Juice, Parfait Amour, Strawberry Hennessy Shanghai (Cocktail) Bitters, Ginger Ale, Hennessy Cognac VS Herradura Manhattan (Cocktail) Bitters, Dry Vermouth, Herradura Anejo Tequila, Sweet Vermouth Hierba Buena Cocktail (Cocktail) Averna Bitters - Amaro, Bitters, Don Julio Reposado Tequila, Heavy Cream, White Creme de Cacao Horse and Jockey (Cocktail) Anejo Rum, Bitters, Southern Comfort, Sweet Vermouth Horse Feather (Cocktail) Bitters, Ginger Ale, Rye Whiskey, Tabasco Sauce Horse's Neck (Cocktail) Bitters, Brandy, Ginger Ale Imperial Cocktail (Cocktail) Bitters, Dry Vermouth, Gin, Maraschino Liqueur Income Tax Cocktail (Cocktail) Bitters, Dry Vermouth, Gin, Lemon Juice, Sweet Vermouth Irish Whiskey (Cocktail) Anisette, Bitters, Irish Whiskey, Maraschino Liqueur, Triple Sec J. R.'s Revenge (Cocktail) Bitters, Bourbon Whiskey, Southern Comfort Jack-In-The-Box (Cocktail) Apple Brandy, Bitters, Pineapple Juice Jamaican Cocktail (Cocktail) Bitters, Coffee Liqueur, Dark Rum, Lime Juice James The Second Comes First (Cocktail) Bitters, Dry Vermouth, Scotch, Tawny Port Jameson Whirlaway (Cocktail) Bitters, Club Soda, Hiram Walker White Peach Schnapps, Jameson Irish Whiskey Jameson Whiskey Sour (Cocktail) Bitters, Egg White, Jameson Irish Whiskey, Lemon Juice, Simple Syrup Japanese Cocktail (Cocktail) Bitters, Brandy, Lime Juice, Orgeat Syrup Jefferson's Old Fashioned (Cocktail) Bitters, Jefferson's Bourbon, Maraschino Cherries, Orange, Sugar Cube, Water Jim Jones (Cocktail) Bitters, Blue Curacao, Port, Vodka Jockey Club Cocktail (Cocktail) Bitters, Gin, Lemon, White Creme de Cacao Journalist Cocktail (Cocktail) Bitters, Dry Vermouth, Gin, Lemon Juice, Sweet Vermouth, Triple Sec Kampai Cocktail (Cocktail) Bitters, Dark Rum, Pineapple Juice, Sweet and Sour Mix, Triple Sec Kentucky Cooler (Punch) Bitters, Bourbon Whiskey, Lager, Sour Mix Kiss Me Quick (Cocktail) Bitters, Club Soda, Curacao, Pernod Absinthe Kup's Indispensable Cocktail (Cocktail) Bitters, Dry Vermouth, Gin, Sweet Vermouth La Stephanique (Cocktail) Bitters, Gin, Sweet Vermouth, Triple Sec Ladies Cocktail (Cocktail) Anisette, Bitters, Blended Scotch Whisky Lady Dani (Cocktail) Belvedere Vodka, Bitters, Elderflower Syrup, Lime, Soda Laguna #1 (Cocktail) Bitters, Brandy, Campari, Martini and Rossi Bianco, Vodka Lawhill Cocktail (Cocktail) Anis, Bitters, Blended Scotch Whisky, Dry Vermouth, Maraschino Liqueur Loft A Better Mule (Cocktail) Bitters, Ginger Beer, Lemon Juice, Loft Spicy Ginger Liqueur, Vodka Loft Almost Purple Haze (Cocktail) Bitters, Lime Juice, Loft Lavender Liqueur, Soda Water, Vodka Loft Craig’s Drink List (Cocktail) Bitters, Lemon Juice, Loft Spicy Ginger Liqueur, Pineapple Juice, Vodka Loft Ginger Peach Cooler (Cocktail) Bitters, Lime Juice, Loft Spicy Ginger Liqueur, Peach Nectar, Vodka Loft Ginger Pear Cooler (Cocktail) Bitters, Lime Juice, Loft Spicy Ginger Liqueur, Pear Nectar, Vodka London Special (Cocktail) Bitters, Champagne, Sugar Cube Long Island Iced Tea #5 (Cocktail) Bacardi Rum, Bitters, Cola, Gin, Tequila, Vodka Long Island Iced Tea - Top Shelf (Cocktail) Bitters, Cointreau, Cola, Cuervo Gold Tequila, Grand Marnier, Rum, Sour Mix, Stolichnaya ( Stoli ) Vodka, Tanqueray Gin Lover's Nocturne (Cocktail) Absolut Vodka, Bitters, Drambuie Liqueur Ludwig and The Gang (Cocktail) Amaretto, Anejo Rum, Bitters, Southern Comfort, Vodka Lycanthropy (Shooter) Bitters, Cranberry Juice, Half and Half Cream, Mezzaluna Vodka, Tuaca, Whiskey Maurice Cocktail (Cocktail) Bitters, Dry Vermouth, Gin, Orange, Sweet Vermouth McDuff (Cocktail) Bitters, Scotch, Triple Sec Metropolitan Cocktail (Cocktail) Bitters, Brandy, Sugar Syrup, Sweet Vermouth Mikado (Cocktail) Bitters, Brandy, Creme de Noyeaux, Grenadine, Triple Sec Monkey Wrench (Cocktail) Bitters, Grapefruit Juice, White Rum Mother In Law (Shooter) Bitters, Stout Moulin Rouge (Cocktail) Bitters, Sloe Gin, Sweet Vermouth Mulled Claret (Cocktail) Bitters, Cinnamon, Claret, Lemon, Nutmeg, Sugar Cube Mumsicle (Cocktail) Bitters, Bourbon Whiskey, Dark Rum Mutiny (Cocktail) Bitters, Dark Rum, Dubonnet Rouge Aperitif Wine Nacional (Cocktail) 10 Cane Rum, Bitters, Cola, Di Saronno Oringinale Amaretto, Lime, Simple Syrup Netherland (Cocktail) Bitters, Brandy, Triple Sec Nevada Cocktail (Cocktail) Bitters, Grapefruit Juice, Lime Juice, Superfine Sugar, White Rum Nevins (Cocktail) Apricot Brandy, Bitters, Bourbon Whiskey, Grapefruit Juice, Lemon Juice Nineteenth Hole (Cocktail) Bitters, Dry Vermouth, Gin, Sweet Vermouth Oaxaca Jim (Cocktail) Bitters, Gin, Grapefruit Juice, Orange Juice Old Fashioned (New Englander) (Cocktail) Bitters, Maraschino Cherry Juice, Orange, Sugar Cube, Water, Whiskey Old Fashioned Manhattan (Cocktail) Bitters, Club Soda, Sugar Cube, Sweet Vermouth, Whiskey Old Fashioned Sweet With Southern Comfort (Cocktail) Bitters, Cherry, Cherry Juice, Orange, Southern Comfort, Sprite, Sugar Old-Fashioned (Cocktail) Bitters, Blended Scotch Whisky, Sugar Cube, Water Original Old Fashioned (Cocktail) Bitters, Bourbon Whiskey, Sugar Cube, Water Pac Man (Non-Alcoholic) Bitters, Ginger Ale, Grenadine, Lemon Juice Pacific Sunshine (Cocktail) Bitters, Blue Curacao, Sour Mix, Tequila Paddy Cocktail (Cocktail) Bitters, Irish Whiskey, Sweet Vermouth Palmer Cocktail (Cocktail) Bitters, Blended Scotch Whisky, Lemon Juice Palmetto Cocktail (Cocktail) Bitters, Dry Vermouth, White Rum Papaya Sling (Cocktail) Bitters, Carbonated Water, Gin, Lime, Papaya Syrup Party Starter (Cocktail) Bitters, Cointreau, Lemon Juice, Lime Juice Perfect Cocktail (Cocktail) Bitters, Dry Vermouth, Gin, Sweet Vermouth Peruvian Mule (Cocktail) Bitters, Lemon Juice, Pisco Porton Peter Pan Cocktail (Cocktail) Bitters, Dry Vermouth, Gin, Orange Juice Pisco Punch (Cocktail) Bitters, Egg White, Lime Juice, Pisco, Simple Syrup Planter's Punch #5 (Cocktail) Bitters, Club Soda, Grenadine, Limes, Powdered Sugar, White Rum Preakness Cocktail (Cocktail) Benedictine, Bitters, Blended Scotch Whisky, Sweet Vermouth Ragged Company (Cocktail) Benedictine, Bitters, Bourbon Whiskey, Sweet Vermouth Riley's Sparrow (Cocktail) Bitters, Dark Rum, Southern Comfort Rum Old-fashioned (Cocktail) Bacardi 151 Proof Rum, Bitters, Powdered Sugar, Water, White Rum Rum Swizzle (Cocktail) Bitters, Carbonated Water, Dark Rum, Lime, Powdered Sugar Rumless Rickey (Non-Alcoholic) Bitters, Club Soda, Grenadine, Lime Juice Rye Whiskey Cocktail (Cocktail) Bitters, Powdered Sugar, Rye Whiskey San Francisco Cocktail (Cocktail) Bitters, Dry Vermouth, Orange Bitters, Sloe Gin, Sweet Vermouth San Mateo (Cocktail) Bitters, Grapefruit Soda, Grenadine, Lemon, Maraschino Cherries, Vodka Sandra Buys A Dog (Cocktail) Anejo Rum, Bitters, Cranberry Juice, Dark Rum, Orange Juice Saratoga Cocktail (Cocktail) Bitters, Brandy, Lemon Juice, Maraschino Liqueur, Pineapple Juice Save the Bee’s Knees (Cocktail) Bitters, Cabana Cachaca, Honey Syrup, Lemon Juice Scotch Old-Fashioned (Cocktail) Bitters, Scotch, Sugar Cube, Water Scotch Royale (Cocktail) Bitters, Champagne, Scotch, Sugar Cube Shanghai Lemon Drop (Martini) Bitters, Limoncello, Yazi Ginger Flavored Vodka Sherry Cocktail (Cocktail) Bitters, Cream Sherry Shriner Cocktail (Cocktail) Bitters, Brandy, Simple Syrup, Sloe Gin Simply Pink (Cocktail) Bitters, Lemonade, Triple Sec Six Shooter (Cocktail) Anisette, Bitters, Dark Rum, Gold Rum, Grapefruit Juice, Grenadine, Honey, Lemon Juice, Light Rum, Orange Juice, Passion Fruit Juice Skip Run and Go Naked (Cocktail) Beer, Bitters, Tequila Sloeberry Cocktail (Cocktail) Bitters, Sloe Gin Smiler Cocktail (Cocktail) Bitters, Dry Vermouth, Gin, Orange Juice, Sweet Vermouth Spencer Cocktail (Cocktail) Apricot Brandy, Bitters, Gin, Orange Juice St. Patrick's Day (Cocktail) Bitters, Green Chartreuse, Green Creme de Menthe, Irish Whiskey Star Cocktail (Cocktail) Apple Brandy, Bitters, Sweet Vermouth Steelworks (Cocktail) Bitters, Cola Tonic, Ginger Beer, Soda Water Stone Fence (Cocktail) Bitters, Carbonated Water, Scotch Strawberry Dream (Cocktail) Absolut Vodka, Bitters, Maple Syrup, Orange Juice, Parfait Amour, Strawberries Strega Smile (Cocktail) Bitters, Dry Vermouth, Orange Juice, Pineapple Juice, Strega, Vodka Suffering Bastard (Cocktail) Bitters, Gin, Ginger Ale, Lime Juice, Rum Suffering Bastard - a slight variation (Cocktail) Bitters, Gin, Ginger Ale, Lime Juice, Rum Sugar Daddy (Cocktail) Bitters, Gin, Maraschino Liqueur, Pineapple Juice Sunshine Cocktail (Cocktail) Bitters, Gin, Sweet Vermouth Swiss Family Cocktail (Cocktail) Anis, Bitters, Blended Scotch Whisky, Dry Vermouth T N T Cocktail (Cocktail) Absinthe, Bitters, Cognac, Cointreau Tangerine Nightmare (Cocktail) Bitters, Grand Marnier, Isolabella, Orange Juice, Vodka Tartan Swizzle (Cocktail) Bitters, Club Soda, Lime Juice, Scotch, Superfine Sugar Ten Quidder (Cocktail) Bitters, Blue Curacao, Gin, Triple Sec Tequila Old-Fashioned (Cocktail) Bitters, Carbonated Water, Sugar, Tequila Tequini #1 (Cocktail) Bitters, Dry Vermouth, Tequila The ABSOLUT Pear fect Season (New England Patriots) (Cocktail) Absolut Pears Vodka, Bitters, Blueberries, Lemon Juice, Lemon Lime Soda, Superfine Sugar The Buffalo Old Fashioned (Cocktail) Bitters, Buffalo Trace Bourbon, Cherry, Lemon, Orange, Sugar The Grand Slam (Cocktail) Bitters, Gibson's Finest 12 Year Old Canadian Whisky, Ginger Ale The Greg Dulli (Cocktail) Bitters, Cranapple Juice, Dark Rum, Gold Rum, White Rum The Lemon Peel (Cocktail) Bitters, G'Vine Floraison Gin, Grapefruit Juice, Lemon Juice, Pallini Limoncello, Simple Syrup, Strega The LOFTy Swizzle (Cocktail) Bitters, Dark Rum, Lime Juice, Loft Lavender Liqueur, Orange Juice, Pineapple Juice, White Rum The Red Pilot (Cocktail) Aperol Orange Liqueur, Beefeater 24, Bitters, Luxardo Marachino Liqueur, Mezcal The Smoking Cat (Cocktail) Bernheim Original Wheat Whiskey, Bitters, Bourbon Whiskey, Dubonnet Rouge Aperitif Wine The Summer Sour (Cocktail) Bitters, Egg White, Gin, L'Espirit de June, Lemon Juice, Sugar Syrup The Sun King (Cocktail) Beefeater Dry Gin, Bitters, Combier Rouge Cherry Liqueur, Lemon, Orange, Sugar Cube The Walpurgis Night (Cocktail) Aguardiente, Bitters, Brown Sugar, Club Soda, Cognac Thistle Cocktail (Cocktail) Bitters, Scotch, Sweet Vermouth Toby Wallbanger (Cocktail) Banana Liqueur, Bitters, Dark Rum, Gin, Melon Liqueur, Tabasco Sauce, Tequila Tropical Cocktail (Cocktail) Bitters, Dry Vermouth, Maraschino Liqueur, White Creme de Cacao Turf Cocktail (Cocktail) Anis, Bitters, Dry Vermouth, Gin Urban Cowboy #2 (Cocktail) Bitters, Pendleton Whisky, Sweet Vermouth Vanderbilt Cocktail (Cocktail) Bitters, Brandy, Cherry Brandy, Simple Syrup Vermouth Cocktail (Cocktail) Bitters, Dry Vermouth, Sweet Vermouth Vicious Sid (Cocktail) Bitters, Lemon Juice, Southern Comfort, Triple Sec, White Rum Virgin Islands Rum Punch (Cocktail) Bitters, Grapefruit Juice, Grenadine, Lime, Orange Juice, Rum, Sugar Washington Cocktail (Cocktail) Bitters, Brandy, Dry Vermouth, Sugar Syrup Wealthy Bastard (Cocktail) Bitters, Curacao, Dark Rum, Gin, Ginger Ale, Rose's Lime Juice Whiskey Cocktail (Cocktail) Bitters, Blended Scotch Whisky, Sugar Syrup Whiskey Swizzle (Cocktail) Bitters, Blended Scotch Whisky, Club Soda, Lime, Powdered Sugar Whisky Kiss (Cocktail) B and B, Bitters, Lemon Juice, Pendleton Whisky, Yellow Chartreuse White Lion Cocktail (Cocktail) Bitters, Grenadine, Lemon, Powdered Sugar, White Rum Wild Turkey Bourbon Manhattan (Cocktail) Bitters, Sweet Vermouth, Wild Turkey 101 Proof Bourbon Yale Cocktail (Cocktail) Bitters, Blue Curacao, Dry Vermouth, Gin
10 Things You Need To Know About Bitters
But those cocktails had one key ingredient that's not as well known today called bitters — alcoholic ingredients flavoured with herbal essences that are added to cocktails in very small quantities (think drops). Bitters like the yellow-capped Angostura are still recognizable today, and can often be found in supermarkets. But there are now a variety of longstanding classic brands, reinvented makers who'd gone quiet after Prohibition, and upstarts who are putting a new twist on an old ingredient.
Author Brad Thomas Parsons has long been a food and cocktail enthusiast, so it's natural that his curiosity was piqued when he started noticing homemade bitters and bottles he didn't recognize behind the bar beside the expected Angostura and Peychaud's. After some investigation, he became fascinated and published a book about the topic a few years ago. The popularity of bitters has only increased since.
"It seems trendy, it seems in the moment," Parsons says. "but it's an essential part of a well crafted cocktail, from the history of it to what's in the glass."
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10 Things You Should Know About Bitters
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Before Prohibition, bitters were an essential ingredient for any cocktail — key to the name itself, actually. But the U.S. government's crackdown on alcohol in the early part of the 20th century, and the passing of the Volstead Act in 1919, dealt bitters a huge blow: other than Angostura, Peychaud's, and a few orange bitters, they've all disappeared.
As people began rediscovering classic cocktail recipes, the reemergence of bitters followed. Kristen Voisey noticed the trend while she was living in Los Angeles, and brought it back to Canada when she opened her Toronto store BYOB, which specializes in vintage barwear and carries a wide selection of bitters. She now stocks more than 100 varieties and says she discovers a new brand nearly each week.
With all those options, bitters can be overwhelming, but they're definitely worth experimenting with. Both Parsons and Voisey suggest starting with the classics and branching out from there based on your own tastes and favourite drinks.
"It's sort of like building a liquor collection," Parsons says. "You don't run out and buy every bottle of gin."
Here are a 10 things to know about bitters—soon you'll be crafting a perfect Angostura Fizz with the best mixologists.
Angostura Aromatic Bitters
Angostura is probably the most recognizable bitters brand thanks to its yellow cap and over-sized wrapper. (The story is that the label is the result of either an ordering mistake or the using the wrong label, but it's been that way for a century.) These aromatic bitters — with flavours like cardamom, nutmeg, and cinnamon — are a key ingredient in classic cocktails like the Manhattan. "It's very versatile," Parsons says. "You can use it in so many drinks."
These bitters are named after Mr. Antoine Amedie Peychaud, a pharmacist and Creole immigrant from what is now known as Haiti. Peychaud began dispensing curative bitters with anise notes out of his pharmacy in the French Quarter of New Orleans in 1838. Peychaud dispensed his bitters in Cognac and fans began to ask for them by name at bars throughout the city. The iconic New Orleans cocktail, the Sazerac, uses these red-coloured bitters as a key ingredient.
Round out your collection of essential bitters with a bottle of orange bitters. This is an area where you can try a few different types of bitters, based on the flavours you like best. Angostura Orange Bitters, the only new bitters ever introduced in the company's 180-year history, has a straightforward orange flavour. Regans' Orange Bitters No. 6, another classic choice, is spicy with notes of cardamom, great for stronger spirits like scotch. Many other bitters companies offer an orange bitters, so you can have fun with this one and try a few different kinds.
Grapefruit And Other Citrus Bitters
Both Parsons and Voisey recommended choosing grapefruit bitters once you want to expand your collection. "It's a fun twist on the citrus," Parsons says. Vancouver company Bittered Sling makes a grapefruit and hops bitters, as does Bittermen's, which recommends using it with tequila drinks. You can also try to make your own recipe.
Other options for citrusy bitters include Scrappy's Bitters in lime and Fee Brothers in lemon.
Add a kick to your drinks with bitters that recall spicy cuisines like Mexican and Thai. Parsons recommends Bittermens Xocolatl mole bitters, which contains cacao, cinnamon, and spices and is recommended for use with aged liquors. Bad Dog's Fire and Damnation bitters contains a hint of smoke and capsaicin spice. Jerk bitters from Bitter End add considerable heat to a cocktail and black pepper bitters from Twisted and Bitter is great in a Caesar.
You don't have to stop with citrus flavours — there are fruity bitters options for every taste. Cherry bitters, like the one by Fee Brothers, is nice in bourbon or adds a fun hint of cherry cola to a rum and coke, while Bittered Sling's plum and root beer bitters create a different carbonated beverage. For an unexpected flavour, try Bar Keep's apple bitters.
This is one to add to your collection if you're a fan of Caesars or Bloody Marys — it's a great compliment to the celery salt used in both drinks. They're also an excellent addition to a gin and tonic. Celery bitters were reintroduced by The Bitter Truth, but you can also try other varieties like the ones from Scrappy's Bitters or Fee Brothers.
If you're really ambitious, or looking for a flavour you can't find in stores, you can try your hand at making your own bitters. Parsons has several recipes for homemade bitters in his book, Bitters, and online search will bring up many more.
You don't have to stick to just cocktails — bitters can add some depth and flavour to your cooking as well. This is a great way to use bitters that recall a particular cuisine, like Chinese bitters by Bar Keep or Thai bitters by Bitter End, or to highlight a particular taste or ingredient with choices like Cardamom bitters by Scrappy's Bitters.
Bitters originated as a medicinal ingredient and they do have health benefits — a bottle is not the the cure-all it was sold as a century or so ago, but bitters are often used as digestive aids. You also don't have to drink them with alcohol — Voisey says pregnant women also enjoy a dash of bitters in tonic water or club soda.
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Agnostura Bitters Cocktail Recipes - 3 Tasty Drinks
We've all heard of Angostura—the world's best-known bitters that come in that funky bottle with the oversized white wrapper.
But what is Angostura, really? If you taste it on its own, you'll find all sorts of warm spice notes—cinnamon, allspice, definitely clove—with a strong bitter, bark-y backbone. Most drinks benefit from just a dash, given that the flavors of Angostura are so densely packed. Do a shot of it, and it tastes awesome for a second and then parches your mouth dry, it's so intense. But when properly mixed, some drinks can be delicious with a ton of Angostura—not just the dash-or-two you're accustomed to. (The vivid red color is definitely a bonus.)
Easy: Ango and Soda
The bartenders call it “Ango” so we will too. Here's the best way to get to know it: splash a ton in a glass of soda water. Its interesting bitter-spicy flavors all come out, and while Ango is as high-proof as any spirit (in fact higher than most, at around 45%), it's so concentrated that just a little bit can satisfy. While this drink isn't technically non-alcoholic, it's so low-proof that it's a great still-tastes-like-a-cocktail option to sub in between, say, your third and fourth "real" drinks. Tastes like a cocktail but won't get you smashed like one.
Instructions: In a tall glass with ice, pour 1/4 ounce of Angostura (that's 20 dashes, should you prefer to dash) and then 5 ounces soda. (It'll foam up into a pretty aggressive head, so watch out.) Garnish with a lemon wedge.
NOTE: If you squeeze the lemon in, it'll kill some of that head.
Intermediate: Angostura Sour
The classic Angostura bitters cocktail. To make it, you've got to take the dropper off the bottle—it'd take a long time to dash out an ounce and a half. Because the Angostura is so dry, you need a pretty decent amount of sugar to balance it out. We find this one also doubles as a hangover remedy.
Instructions: In a cocktail shaker without ice, combine 1 1/2 ounces Angostura bitters (yes, that much, really), 1/2 ounce lemon juice, 1/2 ounce lime juice, and 3/4 ounce simple syrup (equal parts sugar and hot water). Add one egg white. Shake all that up hard without ice—this is called a "dry shake"—and then add ice and shake again (the "wet shake”). Strain into a cocktail glass without ice. Garnish with brandied cherries and an orange wedge.
Advanced: West Indian Old Fashioned
Here, we're taking Caribbean rum, pairing it with Caribbean bitters and Caribbean sugar. Nothing has an affinity for Angostura like rum, and a teeny bit of Angostura Orange—available just about anywhere you can find Ango original— brightens the whole thing up.
Instructions: In a mixing glass with ice, combine 1 ounce Jamaican rum (we use Appleton Estate Reserve 12-year), 1 ounce of Ango, 1/2 ounce demerara syrup (equal part raw sugar dissolved in hot water), and 1/4 ounce Angostura orange. Stir that all up until well-chilled and then strain into a glass with fresh ice. Garnish with an orange wedge.
Everything You Need to Know About Bitters
They're the the salt and pepper of the cocktail world. Here's how to put them to good use.
We're all used to hearing about no-brainer gifts around the holidays. Golfers get tees, jet-setters get luggage, writers get notebooks, and amateur mixologists get bitters sets like this one:
Buy Now Five Flavor Cocktail Bitters Set, $34.99
It's still unclear what the golfers are doing with all of those tees, but chances are, if you're the go-to bar back of your friend group, you've got a stack of eclectically flavored bitters gathering dust in your liquor cabinet. Not because you don't appreciate a finely mixed cocktail with a dash of bitters, but, well, let's just be honest: outside of old fashioneds and sazeracs, most of us are pretty clueless about bitters. And that's a shame because as any real deal bartender will tell you, bitters are the salt and pepper of the cocktail world.
What are bitters?
Put simply, bitters are a flavoring extract made by macerating different ingredients—often dried botanicals that can range anywhere from fruit to bark—in a mixture of alcohol and water. Some brands also add sweeteners, colorants, or even glycerin, but at face value, bitters are a pretty basic concoction.
Why do I need them?
The purpose of bitters, as you might have guessed is to be bitter. Shocking, we know. As for why you'd want that, Avery Glasser, CEO of small batch bitters creator Bittermens explains, "If you think about the flavors we get in cocktails, it's primarily sour (for citrus-based cocktails) and sweet (from added sugar). For a drink to feel more complete when drinking it, you need to engage more of the primary tastes: it's why a margarita became so popular—it added a third taste: salty. Bitter is the fourth taste, so by adding small amounts of bitter to a drink, you're balancing it out and making it a bit more complex, which gives an overall more complete flavor profile."
What bitters do I need?
The most common type of bitters are called aromatic, with a warm-spice flavor that typically includes cloves and allspice; if you've ever seen a cocktail recipe that calls for Angostura bitters, that's what we're talking about here. Angostura was originally invented in Venezuela as a medical tincture, and rose to popularity in the 1850s, but it is far from the only aromatic game in town. "If you only have one bitters at home, then you need a classic aromatic bitters," says Glasser. Orange bitters are also historic and very popular—almost every brand on the market makes one. Where aromatic bitters give cocktails a hint of hard-to-pin-down spice, orange bitters swoop in with a citrusy hit that brightens up a drink without added sweetness or acid.
Buy Now Angostura Aromatic Bitters, $13.68
Buy Now Angostura Orange Bitters, $11.26
What about all of those crazy flavors?
"Before prohibition, there were dozens, if not hundreds of producers—each of them making a few different flavored bitters. Unfortunately, very few varieties survived," Glasser says. "Now, with a resurgence of classic and neo-classic cocktails, there's a resurgence of producers of cocktail bitters." So how are you supposed to pick when you're staring down a rainbow of droppers from rhubarb to lavender? Glasser recommends choosing based on the booze you like—bourbon pairs well with dessert-y undertones, so try something with warm spices or chocolate (he suggests Bittermens Xocolatl Mole Bitters) while tequila gets along with spice and acid (give Hella Bitters Smoked Chili Bitters a shot) Still lost? Think of foods that pair well with your favorite cocktail, then hunt for bitters with similar flavorings. Voila!
Buy Now Bittermens Xocolatl Mole Bitters, $23.47
Buy Now Hella Bitters Smoked Chili Bitters, $22.99
Where can I buy them?
The key to finding bitters depends on where you live. As far as the government is concerned, products that contain ethyl alcohol (aka the stuff that gets you drunk), are considered beverage alcohol (alcohol that you drink) or non-beverage alcohol (alcohol that you won't be sitting down to a frosty mug of, which can include everything from gasoline additives to mouthwash to vanilla extract, and of course, bitters.) Since beverage alcohol requires special registration and sales of it are regulated by the state, each state has its own particular rules, including whether boozy beverages can share shelf space with items that aren't considered beverage alcohol. This categorization means that you can pick up cough syrup with alcohol in it even if you haven't hit 21 yet, but also that you might not be able to snag a bottle of wine on your grocery run. So, depending on where you call home, you may not be able to pick up bitters at your local bottle shop; check out your grocery store, specialty foods shops, or the wonderful world of the internet instead.
What should I do with them?
Make cocktails, obviously, but at just a few dashes per drink, a bottle of bitters goes a long way. Unless you're running a professional bar, odds are you're going to need more than a round of drinks to clear out your cabinets ahead of this year's tide of gifts. Fortunately, the culinary applications of bitters don't end at the wet bar. Acclaimed Brooklyn pie shop Four & Twenty Blackbirds shakes a little aromatic bitters into some of their pie fillings to round out the natural sweetness of fruits, while a dash of citrus or herbaceous bitters will take a dollop of whipped cream from homemade to Michelin Star-fancy. Glasser recommends a touch of Bittermens Orchard Street Celery Shrub (which includes citric acid for zing) with steamed fish or in potato salad. And don't even get us started on the wonder of savory bitters splashed onto ice cold oysters.
Buy Now Bittermens Orchard Street Celery Shrub, $18.84
How should I store them?
Though most bitters contain enough potent compounds to keep them from going bad at room temperature, if you're using a brand that includes sugars or oils, tucking it in the fridge may be your best bet for flavor longevity. Check your bottle to see what the brand recommends to keep your cocktails tasting great all year—or however long that new gift set lasts.
Angostura Bitters
Angostura bitters is a concentrated bitters made of herbs and spices by House of Angostura in the country of Trinidad and Tobago.
Alcohol by volume: 44.7%
All cocktails made with Angostura Bitters
The Brandy Sour is a mixed alcoholic cocktail considered the unofficial national cocktail of Cyprus
It is a Prominent cocktail for prominent people
Strong, sophisticated, perfect for sipping.
A beautiful balance of sweet, sour and bitter. Easy to prepare. The Amaretto is sweet enough to not need any added sugar. Wow!
A variation on a Grand Passion
The genuine recipe invented in the Long Bar of the Raffles Hotel in Singapore
Prepare it correctly and you'll have a great drink!
A great taste of of the Caribbean created by Dale DeGroff.
A really refreshing gin and bourbon cocktail.
A refreshing variation of the Dark and Stormy. Use a good ginger beer such as Fever Tree.
This one will sneak up on you
An awful concoction of jack daniel, mozart chocolate and aromatic bitters. Paired with cigar.
A smooth, sweet drink with a spicy bite.
A cocktail so fine and delicate and rich in flavour that you'll always want another one .
This drink was old fashioned in the 1880's. Still a very tasty cocktail.
What are bitters and how are they used in cocktails?
Kristyna Wentz-Graff
Bittercube bitters are handcrafted in Milwaukee. Bitters add a unique flavor to any drink.
"Bitters are like the spice rack of the cocktail world," according to Ira Koplowitz, co-founder of Bittercube.
"When cooking with spices, drastically different flavor profiles can be achieved with varying spice blends," he said. "The same can be said for bitters."
More literally speaking, bitters are a liquid extraction of seeds, herbs, bark, roots, flowers, leaves and fruit of various plants. They are highly concentrated and are used by the dash to flavor cocktails.
Their history, according to Koplowitz, goes back to ancient times when bittering agents were used by apothecaries to cleanse the body of toxins and aid in digestion.
Today bitters come in little bottles with eyedroppers, and a drop or two can drastically change the flavor profile of a drink.
"When applied judiciously, they expose the diversity of aromas and flavors in a cocktail," Koplowitz said.
Each brand of bitters has its own qualities that bring unique flavors to cocktails. Angostura and Peychaud's are two old, esteemed brands that you may run across in classic cocktail recipes. Locally, Bittercube has been making handcrafted bitters in Milwaukee since 2009.
Bitters can add interest to simple drinks like a vodka tonic or balance the sour and sweet flavors of sours and fizzes. Koplowitz said bitters add needed complexity to stirred cocktails like the old-fashioned and the Manhattan, both of which call for Angostura bitters. Try garnishing a completed cocktail with five drops of bitters on top for added aroma.
Send your questions about food, drinks, home décor, gardening, entertaining, style and DIY to Fresh producer Alison Sherwood (asherwood@journalsentinel.com) and Fresh will consult the experts and provide you with answers.
© 2016, Journal Sentinel Inc. All rights reserved.
Brandy Old-Fashioned Sweet
Columnist Toby Cecchini provided his recipe for a brandy old-fashioned in a 2009 column:
Makes 1 cocktail
Ingredients
A bar spoon of sugar
3 dashes of Angostura bitters
1 slice of orange
1 slug of brandy
Lots and lots of ice
A splash of soda (7-up)
A bright red maraschino cherry, often with an extra dose of the fluorescent juice that they swim in
Preparation
Mix all ingredients in a glass. Combine, stir and serve.
Captain Truman
This drink is adapted from the proprietors of Bittercube.
For measuring purposes, 1 ounce equals 2 tablespoons; ½ ounce, therefore, is 1 tablespoon, ¾ ounce is 2 ¼ teaspoons, and 1 ½ ounces equals 3 tablespoons.
Makes 1 drink
Ingredients
1 ounce Paul Masson Brandy
¾ ounce Domaine de Canton ginger liqueur
¾ ounce lemon juice
½ ounce simple syrup
1 ½ ounces sparkling wine
Garnish: 7 drops of Bolivar Bitters and a lemon twist
Preparation
To a cocktail shaker with ice, add brandy, liqueur, lemon juice and simple syrup. Lightly shake without sparkling wine and strain into flute-shaped glass. Top with sparkling wine and garnish with bitters and lemon twist.
The Winter Fitzgerald
This drink is called a Fitzgerald. Essentially it's a gin sour, but the addition of bitters makes all the difference.
Makes 1 drink
Ingredients
¾ ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
¾ ounce Winter Spice Simple Syrup (see recipe)
2 dashes (or several drops) orange bitters
Preparation
Combine everything in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake vigorously and strain into a chilled glass.
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