Bitters
“Bitters” were originally highly concentrated bitter herbal “tinctures” that were intended for medicinal purposes. They found their way into cocktails and were a table behind the pre-prohibition bar. Technically, (according to pre-prohibition rules) a drink isn’t actually a “cocktail” unless there are bitters in it.
Bitters became less common for a long while, and with the exception of Angostura Bitters, could be hard to find. Thankfully with the resurgence of Craft cocktails since the turn of the century there has been a huge revival in bitters and a huge variety can be purchased relatively easily online.
How They are Made:
Bitters are made in basically the same way as tinctures, with two exceptions:
- Bitters typically have more than one flavoring ingredient, botanical or herb (as opposed to tinctures which often focus on a single flavor)
- Bitters always include a bittering agent (common bittering botanicals include gentian root, cincona bark and wormwood bark.)
Bitters & Cocktails
Bitters can be an incredible asset behind the bar. They contribute to cocktails in three ways:
“Bartender’s Salt:”
Bitters are sometimes called “Bartender’s Salt” because they serve the purpose of adding emphasis to the flavors that already exist in a cocktail. For example, adding bitters to a Manhattan serves to “kick up” the flavor of both the bourbon and the vermouth, in the same way salt enhances the flavor of food. The complexity of the bitters adds a depth and dimension to a cocktail that can be hard to achieve with other, simpler components.
Bringing Flavor:
Especially recently, there are so many diverse flavors of bitters available that this can be a great way to not just enhance but actually add new flavors to a cocktail. Of course, it’s important to select your flavors wisely – celery bitters may be a great addition to a Gin martini, but probably not such a great candidate for a Manhattan.
Offset Sweetness:
Last but certainly not least, bitters can actually serve to mask sweetness. While it won’t “negate” sweetness in your cocktail, a dash of bitters can take the sweet edge off while adding complexity to re-balance the cocktail overall. We’ll talk about this concept in much more depth in the Balance chapter.
