Bitters For Beginners

July 14, 2022 by Sonja Edridge

Many years ago, bitters were something you’d expect to find in a doctor’s bag rather than a bartender’s kit, leaving us to question what are cocktail bitters, really? These little bottles of herby concentrate form the building blocks of many modern cocktails so, perhaps unknowingly, you’ve most likely had bitters in a cocktail before!

A breakdown of cocktail bitters

Bitters are a concentrate of herbs and botanicals macerated in alcohol, dishing up a potent hit of bitter with just one dash. Bitters were first concocted by a Dr Siegert, a medic in the Prussian army, as a medical tincture to help sea sickness in 1824 after much experimentation with plants and herbs. They evolved into the cocktail space when bartenders started using them to give drinks a complex deeper flavor, remarking them as digestifs as they are a great way to ease a full stomach after indulgent meals. Adding bitters to drinks can improve or help align flavors just like sprinkling salt onto your meal as they accentuate the flavors to make the dish standout. How are bitters made, you ask? They have always included alcohol as the solvent to the botanicals, as well as preserving liquor. Read on to find out more.

What is bitters made of?

Many bitter recipes are shrouded in secrecy, but the process involves many herbs, roots and plant botanicals (in Angostura bitters there are up to forty!). These are steeped with sugar and a high proof alcohol (almost 50%) to create a concentrate. Cinnamon or cassia bark and gential root are commonly used botanicals as well as orange peel, clove, cascarilla and cinchona bark.

How much is a dash of bitters?

Many cocktail recipes ask for a dash of bitters but what is a dash of bitters, actually? It can sound rather vague so, to be more precise, one dash of bitters is in the region of ¼ and ⅛ of a teaspoon. If measured in drops with a pipette, a dash will equal ten drops.

What are the different types of bitters?

There are so many types of bitters, all offering different flavor profiles to bring their own unique complexity to light up your cocktail. Check out some of the classics below:

Aromatic Bitters

Aromatics bitters are your standard bitters that most of us know, all with a similar profile of botanicals, using roots, herbs and plants that result in bitter medicinal notes. Typical spices include cinnamon, cardamom or cloves but some brands use barks and tamarind others liquorice and anise.

Citrus Bitters

Citrus bitters are also very popular, made in the same way as aromatics but steeped in citrus peel from limes, lemons and grapefruits rather than botanicals. Citrus bitters make magic with spirits like vodka, gin and vermouth, as well as tequila.

Herbal Bitters

Herbal bitters are more subtle and delicate, typically using a single herb or flavor, like a mint bitter, chamomile or lavender as the infusion.

Bean and Nut Bitters

Bean bitters like cocoa, coffee and vanilla are trendy additions to the bitters line up, especially to pair with bourbons and chocolate flavored cocktails. Nut bitters like pecan, walnut, almond and hazelnut are delicious additions to a whisky and bourbon cocktails.

What are the benefits of bitters?

Bitters started their journey as a medicine for stomach aches, soothing digestion, bloating and nausea. The digestive nature of bitters activates one’s saliva, which has enzymes that help break down the food in your gut. It also acts as a palate cleanser and said to help to reduce the sweet cravings you get after a good meal.

Most Popular Bitters

The trending types of bitters around the world are our OG Angostura Bitters and Peychaud’s, although Chocolate bitters are popular too.

Angostura Bitters

Angostura Bitters is the poster child for aromatic bitters and the most commonly known worldwide. The iconic bottle is made in Trinidad, with the oversized white label (a magical mishap) and the easily recognizable yellow lid. It is bitter and spicy with a hint of clove, cinnamon and a herbal root called gential and typically added to an Old Fashioned, or Manhattan.

Peychaud’s Bitters

Peychaud’s Bitters is the hero ingredient to the Sazerac cocktail, which is the official drink of New Orleans. Peychaud’s Bitters is sweeter than Angostura with minty anise flavors.

Orange Bitters

Orange bitters are made from steeping bitter orange peels in alcohol, along with the usual botanicals like cinnamon and cardamom, but with the addition of caraway, coriander and anise. Orange bitters came on to the scene with the rise in popularity of the Dry Martini in the 1880s. If you have a bottle of orange bitters, add it to the Zombie cocktail.

Chocolate Bitters

Although chocolate bitters may seem like an unlikely bitters to add into cocktails (Angostura makes a cocoa version too) — they say, one can stir it into almost any drink, including a whiskey Manhattan or brandy cocktails as well as something made with an aged rum or tequila. Of course, in a Chocolate Martini or Espresso Martini it would be delicious!

What are the Possible Substitutes for Bitters?

Bitters don’t have a like-for-like substitute as they’re really one of a kind. If you don’t have bitters in your arsenal, use small amounts (remember what is a dash of bitters) of a bitter liqueur, like Campari. If you’ve got more time on your hands, steep your spirit in a twist of bitter orange peel and cinnamon or add a botanical smoke to impart some of the bitter notes.

Can You Make Your Own Bitters?

You can easily make your own version of bitters at home. It’s a three-tier process and all you need is a little time:

Steep your botanicals (roots, bark and spices) in a neutral high-proof spirit like vodka or whisky for two weeks and then strain into a jar and set aside.

Cover the strained solids in a pan with water and cook briefly before sealing in another jar.

Finally, combine the two strained liquids, adding a simple syrup (made with brown sugar, maple, honey or molasses) to sweeten. Allow three days for the sugar to dissolve before bottling and using.

What are the Most Popular Cocktails with Bitters?

Bitters give the quintessential je ne c’est quoi to many classic cocktails like the Old Fashioned, Manhattan and a Sazerac. You’ll also find bitters in the Singapore Sling, Whiskey Sour, Pego Club and Pisco Sour. Being that the OG Angostura is from Trinidad, there are plenty of cocktails like the Trinidad Sour that use bitters.

Other lesser-known cocktails with bitters include a Champagne cocktail with a bitters-soaked sugar cube or pink G&Ts.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What are cocktail bitters to a drink, one could say cocktail bitters are the seasoning to drinks like one would add salt and pepper to a dish, they can enhance the taste and add complexity to cocktails, highlighting certain flavor notes.

Well, what do bitters taste like? They are indeed bitter flavored, some would classify it as a spicy note on their palate with the hints of cinnamon and clove. How are bitters made is by macerating herbs and botanicals like bark and fruit to extract flavors and reduced to a strong intense concentrate that become bitter tasting, almost medicinal but a few dashes in a drink, add depth of flavor and balance drinks that could otherwise be too sweet.

Cocktail bitters add the seasoning to cocktails, like salt seasons your food. It improves the flavors, accentuating the ingredients in the drink mix.