All About Bitters

I feel like the word “bitter” gets a bad wrap. It is usually used as a negative description for foods and drinks, but in reality bitterness is an important aspect of creating balanced and complex flavour profiles. There are six different types of tastes we experience: bitter, sweet, salty, fatty, umami, and sour. You want a balanced combination of these flavours, not necessarily all of them at once, but you don’t want a cocktail that tastes flat and one dimensional. I find bitters are a fantastic way to balance cocktails and add more complex flavours without the addition of more spirits or more liquid which could lead to other problems with the cocktail such as dilution or tasting too alcoholic. At the same time, I understand that the world of bitters can be very overwhelming. There are so many types, flavours, and brands to sift through and it can be hard when you’re just learning. I am a little obsessed with bitters and have quite the collection at this point so I want to try and break down what bitters are, how they are used, and give you a bit of a starting off point for what I consider to be staple bitters for any home bar. 

Bitters themselves have been around in many forms since Ancient Egyptian times when Egyptians would steep botanicals in wine.The bitters we know today came about in the Middle Ages when we started figuring out how to distill higher proof alcohol which was a better base for steeping and preserving botanicals. However, bitters gained in popularity in the 18th and 19th centuries; these bitters were not made for cocktails,they were patented and sold as medicinal tonics to aid in digestion, reduce nausea, and to cure hangovers. During this time they were also used to flavour less than savory wines, gins, brandy, and vermouths. That was more of a side use than it was their designated purpose. This is where we start seeing the transition from medicinal bitters to cocktail bitters. Cocktail bitters were more focused on flavour than medicinal properties. This is when you start to see companies that we know today start producing bitters such as Agnostura, Peychaud’s, and Bittermens. You can still find these bitters on most bars but the world of bitters has expanded beyond just “aromatic” bitters and there are so many different flavour profiles available now. 

Enough about what bitters are and their history, let's talk cocktails! The cocktails that most people think of when they think bitters are usually the Old Fashion, Manhattan, Whisky Sour, and Pisco Sour. Bitters are so much more diverse and can be added to any cocktail, or if you’re looking for a non-alcoholic option they can be added to soda water. It all comes down to flavour profile and what you are looking for from your drink. How to actually use bitters depends once again on your drink; for the Pisco Sour the bitters are used more as a garnish and are carefully dropped on top of the foam. For Old Fashion, they are dropped on to a sugar cube and muddled then topped off with whisky. For Manhattans and Whisky Sours the bitters are incorporated directly into the drink. 

No matter how you use bitters the most important thing to remember is they are extremely potent! A few drops go a long way. To get an idea of how strong your bitters are I always suggest putting a drop on your hand or spoon and trying them straight before you even go near a cocktail. A: This gives you a really good idea of how potent the bitters are because not all bitters are created equal, so some will be very mild and you will need quite a few drops and for others two drops will be more than enough. B: Trying them straight also allows you to truly understand the flavour profile of your bitters which in turn will help you in creating your cocktails. Once you have an idea of how strong your bitters are you can start looking at either playing around with your own cocktail recipes or trying out a few recipes that have piqued your interest. As for actually reading a recipe, you will notice there are usually two forms of measurements used for bitters, either drops or dashes. Now you may think I am ridiculous to bring this up but in some cases it really does make a difference. The majority of bitters will have one of two types of droppers, the first is just a flat top that regulates how fast the bitters come out, the second is a little glass dropper attached to the lid.  So drops are exactly what you expect, individual drops of bitters, both types of bottles allow for drops so this is the easiest and most accurate measurement. Oftentimes you will see “a dash of bitters”, so what exactly is the difference? A dash is used for bottles that don’t have the glass dropper and is when you give the bottle a hard shake upside down instead of letting it just drip. A dash of bitters is equivalent to about 6-8 drops, which is why it is important to make that distinction between a dash and a drop and is not something I see people talk about. 

Now, where do you actually start with bitters? Bitters are not the cheapest ingredient (although a bottle will last AGES) so I recommend starting off with the basics. The absolute must have bitter is what is considered an “aromatic bitter” ; these don’t necessarily have a specific flavour profile but are more of a symphony of different flavours. Each type of aromatic bitter will taste different so it is up to personal preference. This is a controversial opinion but I don’t like Angostura bitters. My go to aromatic bitters are Rootside’s Aromatic-ish which is warm and spicy,with prominent notes of star anise, cloves, and cinnamon. My other most used is General Ambrose’s Aromatic Bitters from Apothecary Bitters. These have a darker, richer flavour of molasses, stewed fruits, with a bit of a woodsy note. Then you want a citrusy bitter; this is again based on personal preference, you can get orange which is the most traditional option and the one you will see most often in cocktails. I really enjoy both Rootside’s and the Fee Brother’s orange bitters. There is also the option of grapefruit or lemon bitters too which are less common but if you prefer those flavours over orange live your best life and use them instead. Ms. Better’s Bitters has a fantastic grapefruit bitter same with Scrappy’s. For Lemon bitters Rootside just released a lemon tonic bitter which I have not tried but based on the fact I own all their other bitters I am willing to put money on this one being phenomenal as well! Another flavour of bitters I suggest having on hand is chocolate because when can you ever go wrong with chocolate? I love Scrappy’s for just a solid chocolate bitter but if you want more than just chocolate Apothecary Bitters has “The Darkness” which is a chocolate and coffee bitter which is delicious. Those are what I consider the basic bitters that every bartender should have, from here it is up to you what you add next. I suggest having a tropical one and a fruity one, Ms.Betters Bitters Pineapple Star Anise is my absolute go-to for tropical and I love Bittered Sling’s Clingstone Peach bitters for fruity. 

Here’s a list of my other most used bitters if you’re looking for other recommendations:

Molè bitters from Dillon’s (Spicy Chocolate)

Kpynhik (Krupnik) from Bittermans

Coffee & Cardamom from Rootside (actually let's be honest here, literally everything Rootside makes is fantastic and I highly recommend them as a whole)

Tomato Vine from Mad Lab

Basil Affinity from Born to Shake 

Yuzu Bitters from Miracle Mile 

Now that you know more about bitters and how to use them, Happy Cocktailing!