Homemade co*cktail Bitters Recipe for Drinks & Desserts (2024)

FAQs

What is the best alcohol to make bitters with? ›

No matter what kind of recipe you're concocting, all bitters should be created with high-proof liquor. This means liquor that is 50% alcohol by volume (ABV) or 100 proof. Vodka or grain alcohols, like Everclear, tend to work the best.

Some of the best co*cktail bitters available are Angostura, Regans' Orange, Peychaud's, Bittermens, and The Bitter Truth. A boom of commercially accessible bitters in myriad diverse tastes has accompanied the 21st-century co*cktail revolution. There are hundreds of different variations to pick from.

What are Bitters Made of? Bitters are a neutral alcohol infused with spices, herbs, fruits, roots, and other ingredients. Common ingredients include cinchona bark, gentian root, cascarilla, orange peel, and others. Most bitters are 35 to 45% ABV (alcohol by volume), so they have a relatively high alcohol content.

It's fun to make your own bitters, and it takes relatively little effort—just some time to allow the flavorful aromatics to infuse the alcohol. This citrus-spice batch will go nicely with all of your favorite co*cktails that call for bitters, or add a few dashes to a glass of seltzer for a refreshing thirst-quencher.

In 1870, Siegert's three sons migrated to Trinidad and established the bitters as an essential ingredient in co*cktails and food. With four bitters variations: Aromatic Bitters, Orange Bitters, Cocoa Bitters, and Amaro Di Angostura, Angostura is a staple for bartenders and professional and home cooks.

What are bitters dashes in terms of quantity? One dash of bitters is somewhere between ⅛ teaspoon and ¼ teaspoon. Most drinks use 1 to 2 dashes. To add bitters to a drink, tip the bottle right into the drink and give it a good solid shake.

How Are Bitters Made? Most bitters* are made by steeping botanicals in high-proof alcohol like everclear or whiskey for a variable amount of time. The alcohol acts as an efficient solvent, extracting flavors and volatile aromatics from the botanicals as they sit.

| Do Bitters Expire? On average, bitters last around 5 years. However, there's no need to refrigerate bitters. Even though there are organic compounds in bitters, the amount of alcohol acts as a natural sterilizer and preservation agent.

While their ingredient ratios vary, bitters are made of water, alcoholic spirits, and botanicals. High-proof alcoholic spirits are ideal for making bitters. Carminative herbs, which aid digestion, are the most traditional botanicals. However, many modern bitters makers choose their botanicals for flavor alone.

What is a bartenders favorite drink to make? ›

After a long week of shaking co*cktails for others, bartenders often crave a flawless martini. It's second nature to just grab something ready-made or quick to pour, but bartenders deserve drinks made with love too. Everyone has differing taste buds, but gin seems to be the proven alcohol of choice among bartenders.

“Start with the staples—Angostura, Peychaud's, orange bitters,” says Boudreau. “Then build from there as you find recipes you like. You want to try to avoid buying bitters with only one or two uses.

A: All co*cktail bitters contain alcohol--quite a lot by volume--but they are considered a "non-potable" product, which is why their sale is not restricted, just like anyone can buy flavored extracts (like vanilla), which also contain alcohol but aren't meant for direct consumption.

Bitters are technically alcoholic, and they're usually between 35% to 45% ABV. Because they're sold in such small bottles and their flavor is so strong, most recipes call for just a dash or a few drops, making its overall alcohol contribution negligible, and why you don't need to be 21 or older to buy them.

Bitters are herbal tinctures that originated in the apothecaries of old-world Europe. They are specific barks, roots, and herbs that have been infused in alcohol, and then used in dashes or drops to enhance flavor in drinks and food as well as for their health benefits.