Resurrecting a zombie thread here. I don't make a lot of cocktails, so bitters are rarely on my radar. My wife ordered an Aperol Spritz at dinner a little while ago, but I ended up stealing most of it. Something about the interplay between bitter, sweet, and acidity really got my wheels spinning. Rather than go the Aperol/Campari-style liqueur route, I decided to try making a couple of batches of bitters. I'm getting ready to strain, filter, and bottle them in the next few days, and I'm looking forward to trying them out.
Lime Bitters:
Zest of 5(ish) small limes
Zest of 1/2 of a lemon
Zest of 1/2 of an orange
1 tsp Gentian root
1 tsp Angelica root
1 tsp Juniper berries
1/2 tsp White peppercorns
1/2 tsp Lavender flowers
8 oz Bacardi 151
Steep for 2 weeks, add 2 oz turbinado syrup, steep 1 more week
Aromatic Bitters:
Peel from 3 dried orange slices
1 tsp Gentian root
1 tsp Angelica root
1/2 tsp Lavender flowers
1/2 tsp Quassia wood
1/4 in chunk of cinnamon stick
1/2 tsp Coriander
1/2 tsp Tarragon
Small chunk of dark chocolate
8oz Everclear
Steep for 2 weeks, add 2 oz Turbinado syrup, steep 1 more week
Like I said, I don't generally make cocktails at home, but I'm looking forward to trying these out. I think the Lime bitters will be really nice with Gin/Vodka/Tequila drinks, or even splashed into lemonade or citrusy soft drinks. Outside of an Old Fashioned, I'm not sure what I'll be using the Aromatic bitters in, but it should be fun to play around with.
Topic: Bitters (Read 3227 times)
