What exactly are Bitters?

Bitters are what we use as bartenders in a host of different cocktails. The most famous would be Angostura Bitters.

 

However, there are a host of different flavour variants and different uses for each.

 

Let’s delve a little deeper.

 

 

What are bitters made of? What alcohol is bitters?

Essentially they are alcohol infused with plant matter. That sounds terrible, but the flavour that it imparts can be very important to the overall taste of your drinks.

 

Think aromatic herbs, bark, roots, sometimes fruit. All chosen for their flavours and their medicinal purposes

 

What do bitters taste like?

Angostura bitters taste spicy, the botanicals that they use lend to the spicy flavour profile with hints of cinnamon and clove.

 

There are other types of bitters that all have different flavour profiles that need to be thought about during drink creation. Some cocktails will call for a different type of bitters in the recipe.

 

Peychauds Bitters for example are more fruity and have a much sweeter taste than angostura. Peychauds is actually our favourite for use in a Sazerac cocktail.

 

Orange bitters are common behind the bar as well. Angostura Orange bitters is made from sun-ripened, hand-harvested Caribbean oranges

 

Old Fashioned Bitters are aged in oak barrels and give a much more savoury zest flavour

 

Cherry bitters give your drink that pleasant sour bitters taste with a cherry finish.

 

There are lot’s of flavour profiles available on Amazon. right now which you can see here.

 

Can you drink bitters straight?

Well, you could… But we wouldn’t advise it.

 

Bitters are typically high proof alcohols that’s flavour is so concentrated it would be extremely overpowering to drink on its own.

 

Think of it lie this, you add salt to your food to give it a salty flavour profile. You add bitters to your drink to give it that flavour profile. you wouldn’t eat a bowl of salt… So you wouldn’t drink a glass of bitters.