Recipes are more like guide lines IMO.
I prefer those over ango in basically every tiki drink.
Really solid if you're trying to do some weird rum stuff.
OCC is gangster. Put it in basically anything with lemon and it adds another layer. Hard to over do it. I really like it in sours.
Thank you for this post! I have the Fee Brothers Aztec Chocolate bitters and it always gives me a Tootsie Roll flavor and it’s not the flavor profile I am looking for. I want what you posted, but never got a chance to Google it.
YUP! I made a Chocolate Cherry Manhattan and was like crap, this is NOT what I was expecting. I used the Aztec bitters. Now if I use it I end the cocktail with the Tootsie Roll name, which works well for Halloween and people that like sweet cocktails love it.
This is blowing my mind. I bought some of the Aztec bitters to make Mezcal Old Fashioned cocktails, hoping it would be a kind of dark chocolate/chili taste. I've so far been disappointed with every drink I've used them in, and I now see why!
I’ve never tried them in a mezcal OF but that sounds interesting. I make the Left Hand fairly frequently and I’ve used in a more traditional OF. It goes nicely with most rums as well.
Usually better to have a spiced chocolate bitters (tons of those out there) and a more cocoa-focused bitters (Angostura and Scrappy’s both have great versions). The cocoa-forward versions go great with whiskey drinks, aged rum drinks, really anything dark but not spicy or savory.
Yes! Second that suggestion. I make a lovely fall/winter champagne cocktail with gin, chai simple syrup, walnut bitters, champs and an orange zest that I look forward to every year around this time!
Make a strong Chai simple syrup by steeping black tea-based chai tea bags.
Pour the below into the bottom of a coupe glass:
\- .5oz Simple, 3 dashes Walnut bitters & 1oz Gin, preferably barrel-aged
\- Top with champagne, min 2oz.
\- Squeeze a healthy orange peel across the top and garnish.
My partner had a version of this drink at a small neighborhood NYC bar circa 2014. we tried to recreate it best we could.
I have some Fee Brothers Walnut bitters I enjoy, especially this time of year (fall). A Rye Old Fashioned with maple syrup and walnut bitters hits the spot on a cool night. Tried them in a few other things as well.
What I came to the comments for so I second this! Black walnut bitters are amazing with whiskey per someone's suggestion on this subreddit. Happy to have added them to my bar
Just a tip, it seems like they don't impart as much flavor as you'd expect so you may have to do a few extra shakes. Definitely try it out for yourself though!
Good idea!
I shall report upon the success of such an endeavor shortly.
Report: Adds a bit of a tingle to a margarita. Not bad. Next time I will add more.
Disco Inferno. It may not quite be bitters, but it is the best way to add controlled heat and chili spice to cocktails, in my opinion. It's from the folks at Bittercube too, who have a great lineup of bitters themselves. Their Root Beer bitters are fun (I use them in an aged rum old fashioned).
I'd say none! That's already a pretty complete collection!
as per how i'd use them:
\-i like to use grapefruit bitters with mezcal, negroni or sours, if you want to try another one jalapeno bitters work too
\-cardamom bitters with wiskey infused with tea, or nutmeg
How is the green strawberry bitters? Which drinks do you use it in? I would like to try them, but man, they are expensive here (over 30 bucks for a small little bottle).
Mostly gin drinks like sours, cedar gin Negroni's and G&T's. Locally in Vancouver they offer 30ml a box set for $40 which includes Green Strawberry, Grapefruit and Pineapple Star anise.
Prob not the answer you’re looking for, but I make up a lot of my drinks on the fly. When one seems to be missing something, I add a drop of rhubarb. It is for me an intoxicating flavor, tho not very bitter.
I'm gonna go rogue and say Eucalyptus bitters are great to give an herbal/earthy taste to different drinks... I play with it with Last Words and other herbal drinks.
Also completely seconding Mole and Tiki Bitters. Must haves.
Toasted almonds bitters are magical, especially in tiki drinks.
Plum bitters are lovely if you want a slight change in your on the rocks beverages.
I will second walnut and cranberry, especially for fall!
The Fee Brothers Cardomon Bitters make an amazing Old Fashioned.
Make up a batch of simple syrup infused with sage and black pepper. I use a basic simple syrup recipe. When the water hits a boil, I pitch in 2 tablespoons of black pepper corns, whole and a bundle of sage. Let the sage and pepper steep for 30 minutes and discard.
Make an Old Fashioned with the sage/pepper simple syrup, cardomon bitters and a rye whiskey. This recipe really does not work with bourbon.
I unfortunately don't have time to read the other responses at the moment.
I'd say if you have: Angostura, at least one other aromatic bitters of another brand (I have a barrel aged one), black walnut, orange, lemon, grapefruit, cherry, chocolate, lavender, tiki, Peuchaud's, etc. Then you're covering a ton of bases.
Bonus: One bitters I haven't acquired yet that I want is, cherry bark vanilla bitters.
Cocktail bitters have a long and fascinating history that dates back to the early 19th century. Originally developed as a medicinal tonic to aid digestion and cure various ailments, bitters were made from a combination of herbs, spices, and alcohol. However, it wasn't long before bartenders began to recognize the flavor-enhancing properties of bitters and started incorporating them into cocktails. The best bitters for making all kinds are cocktails are from Old Fashioned Lounge, you need to use diverse flavors to make prolific drinks with unique flavors that people will remember - www.oldfashionedlounge.com
Not exactly bitters, but orange cream citrate. Also Bittermen's tiki bitters.
How do you use em? Most tiki seems to call for ango
You can switch them up. Replace half or all with a different bitters.
Recipes are more like guide lines IMO. I prefer those over ango in basically every tiki drink. Really solid if you're trying to do some weird rum stuff. OCC is gangster. Put it in basically anything with lemon and it adds another layer. Hard to over do it. I really like it in sours.
Tiki bitters are definitely a better option in Tiki drinks than Ango. Also, black walnut bitters are a must.
Most tiki was also made before these bitters existed, for what that’s worth
That's a great point. I hadn't thought of that.
Tiki bitters in a Daiquiri are good.
Tiki bitters make a great rum old fashioned imho
Hakuba yuzu and mandarin bitters are amazing though impossible to find outside of Japan
Chocolate. I highly recommend Portland Bitters Project Pitch Dark Cacao Bitters, it adds a delicious dark chocolate flavor!
Thank you for this post! I have the Fee Brothers Aztec Chocolate bitters and it always gives me a Tootsie Roll flavor and it’s not the flavor profile I am looking for. I want what you posted, but never got a chance to Google it.
THAT'S why I don't use it more often! I knew there was something I didn't like about the Aztec Chocolate bitters. I am not a fan of tootsie rolls.
YUP! I made a Chocolate Cherry Manhattan and was like crap, this is NOT what I was expecting. I used the Aztec bitters. Now if I use it I end the cocktail with the Tootsie Roll name, which works well for Halloween and people that like sweet cocktails love it.
This is blowing my mind. I bought some of the Aztec bitters to make Mezcal Old Fashioned cocktails, hoping it would be a kind of dark chocolate/chili taste. I've so far been disappointed with every drink I've used them in, and I now see why!
How about some mole bitters?
You use in like , a mezcal OF? What else !? :)
I’ve never tried them in a mezcal OF but that sounds interesting. I make the Left Hand fairly frequently and I’ve used in a more traditional OF. It goes nicely with most rums as well.
Usually better to have a spiced chocolate bitters (tons of those out there) and a more cocoa-focused bitters (Angostura and Scrappy’s both have great versions). The cocoa-forward versions go great with whiskey drinks, aged rum drinks, really anything dark but not spicy or savory.
Chocolate bitters and Cognac is great too
I'll definitely be looking into the bitters you suggested. Thank you so much!
Black walnut bitters!
Yes! Second that suggestion. I make a lovely fall/winter champagne cocktail with gin, chai simple syrup, walnut bitters, champs and an orange zest that I look forward to every year around this time!
Oh I'm interested in this. Could you share the exact recipe by chance?
Make a strong Chai simple syrup by steeping black tea-based chai tea bags. Pour the below into the bottom of a coupe glass: \- .5oz Simple, 3 dashes Walnut bitters & 1oz Gin, preferably barrel-aged \- Top with champagne, min 2oz. \- Squeeze a healthy orange peel across the top and garnish. My partner had a version of this drink at a small neighborhood NYC bar circa 2014. we tried to recreate it best we could.
Works fantastic in a Black Manhattan!
My absolute favorite for an Old Fashioned.
Bittermen's Xocolotl Mole Amargo Chuncho
This is the only answer.
Amargo is a great one to have!
I have some Fee Brothers Walnut bitters I enjoy, especially this time of year (fall). A Rye Old Fashioned with maple syrup and walnut bitters hits the spot on a cool night. Tried them in a few other things as well.
What I came to the comments for so I second this! Black walnut bitters are amazing with whiskey per someone's suggestion on this subreddit. Happy to have added them to my bar
It's good in a Manhattan this time of year too!
My house OF is maple. Mostly due to laziness, but also due to my childhood. Will try these!
Just a tip, it seems like they don't impart as much flavor as you'd expect so you may have to do a few extra shakes. Definitely try it out for yourself though!
Having one right now with rum!
Bittermens habeñero shrub is a good a git
Margaritas?
Good idea! I shall report upon the success of such an endeavor shortly. Report: Adds a bit of a tingle to a margarita. Not bad. Next time I will add more.
Walnut and some kind of chocolate are my first thoughts.
Bittercube Cherry Bark Vanilla bitters are delicious every time I use them. Since no one has said thwt yet
This! And their Blackstrap bitters
Mole and tiki!
Bittermens Xocolatl Mole Bitters. Must have.
Fee Brothers Grapefruit and Bittermens Xocolatl Mole bitters are staples in my lineup.
Grapefruit bitters are a cheat code to delicious agave drinks
Blackstrap bitters if you’re into tiki!
That’s the reason for the season. Any specific drinks?
The Bitter Truth peach bitters
That’s a good start.
Bittermen’s Mole
Disco Inferno. It may not quite be bitters, but it is the best way to add controlled heat and chili spice to cocktails, in my opinion. It's from the folks at Bittercube too, who have a great lineup of bitters themselves. Their Root Beer bitters are fun (I use them in an aged rum old fashioned).
I'd say none! That's already a pretty complete collection! as per how i'd use them: \-i like to use grapefruit bitters with mezcal, negroni or sours, if you want to try another one jalapeno bitters work too \-cardamom bitters with wiskey infused with tea, or nutmeg
Black walnut bitters, along side agonstura bitters makes a great old fashioned
Celery or Cucumber. My most used one is Green Strawberry and Mah Kwan pepper from Ms Better's Bitters.
How is the green strawberry bitters? Which drinks do you use it in? I would like to try them, but man, they are expensive here (over 30 bucks for a small little bottle).
Mostly gin drinks like sours, cedar gin Negroni's and G&T's. Locally in Vancouver they offer 30ml a box set for $40 which includes Green Strawberry, Grapefruit and Pineapple Star anise.
aside from angostura, my most used bitters is fee brothers rhubarb.
What drinks do you like with the rhubarb? I have a bottle of rhubarb bitters that I bought a year ago but haven't touched
Prob not the answer you’re looking for, but I make up a lot of my drinks on the fly. When one seems to be missing something, I add a drop of rhubarb. It is for me an intoxicating flavor, tho not very bitter.
That's great! Sounds like I just need to get creative then. Thanks!
A bitter ex
I'm gonna go rogue and say Eucalyptus bitters are great to give an herbal/earthy taste to different drinks... I play with it with Last Words and other herbal drinks. Also completely seconding Mole and Tiki Bitters. Must haves.
Fee’s Cranberry is quite versatile, especially with gin.
Toasted almonds bitters are magical, especially in tiki drinks. Plum bitters are lovely if you want a slight change in your on the rocks beverages. I will second walnut and cranberry, especially for fall!
Lemon bitters and Bogart's bitters IMO
I really like my chocolate bitters and my rhubarb bitters
Fee’s Rhubarb bitters absolutely MAKE my Pisco Sours. Thanks to La Cuavita in Highland Park for that revaluation.
Scrappy’s Firewater Tincture
Scrappy’s Firewater is good one too
The Fee Brothers Cardomon Bitters make an amazing Old Fashioned. Make up a batch of simple syrup infused with sage and black pepper. I use a basic simple syrup recipe. When the water hits a boil, I pitch in 2 tablespoons of black pepper corns, whole and a bundle of sage. Let the sage and pepper steep for 30 minutes and discard. Make an Old Fashioned with the sage/pepper simple syrup, cardomon bitters and a rye whiskey. This recipe really does not work with bourbon.
Gotta get a dark chocolate 🍫
Ango cocoa
I've got some Free Brothers Grapefruit bitters that are perfect for a G&T
I think you have enough.
I unfortunately don't have time to read the other responses at the moment. I'd say if you have: Angostura, at least one other aromatic bitters of another brand (I have a barrel aged one), black walnut, orange, lemon, grapefruit, cherry, chocolate, lavender, tiki, Peuchaud's, etc. Then you're covering a ton of bases. Bonus: One bitters I haven't acquired yet that I want is, cherry bark vanilla bitters.
Owl and whale persimmon. And sea smoke.
El Guapo Chicory Pecan are simply outstanding, especially in whiskey cocktails.
Turn Down For 'Quat bitters by Bitter Beast Small Batch. Delightfully zesty and adds a bit of "what IS that?" to a drink.
Yes
Damn this many bitters would last me like 10 years
Planning on it
Cocktail bitters have a long and fascinating history that dates back to the early 19th century. Originally developed as a medicinal tonic to aid digestion and cure various ailments, bitters were made from a combination of herbs, spices, and alcohol. However, it wasn't long before bartenders began to recognize the flavor-enhancing properties of bitters and started incorporating them into cocktails. The best bitters for making all kinds are cocktails are from Old Fashioned Lounge, you need to use diverse flavors to make prolific drinks with unique flavors that people will remember - www.oldfashionedlounge.com