Bitters: Difference between revisions

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After [[American Prohibition]], bitters all but disappeared from the scene. [[Angostura Aromatic Bitters]] became the only bitters that was readily available, and even so, it was rarely used.
After [[American Prohibition]], bitters all but disappeared from the scene. [[Angostura Aromatic Bitters]] became the only bitters that was readily available, and even so, it was rarely used.
==Available Bitters==
Here is a valiant attempt at trying to list all of the currently available bitters...
* Angostura: (http://angosturabitters.com/)
** Aromatic Bitters
** Orange Bitters
* Fee Brothers: (http://feebrothers.com/products/bitters)
** Aztec Chocolate Bitters
** Black Walnut Bitters
** Cardamom Bitters
** Celery Bitters
** Cherry Bitters
** Cranberry Bitters
** Gin Barrel-Aged Orange Bitters
** Grapefruit Bitters
** Lemon Bitters
** Lime Bitters
** Mint Bitters
** Molasses Bitters
** Old Fashion Aromatic Bitters
** Peach Bitters
** Plum Bitters
** Rhubarb Bitters
** West Indian Orange Bitters
** Whiskey Barrel-Aged Bitters
* The Sazerac Company:
** Peychaud's Bitters
** Regans' Orange Bitters #6
* Dale DeGroff's Pimento Aromatic Bitters (http://www.kingcocktail.com/bitters.htm)
* The Bitter Truth: (https://the-bitter-truth.com/)
** Aromatic Bitters
** Orange Bitters
** Lemon Bitters
** Celery Bitters
** Jerry Thomas Bitters
** Creole Bitters
** Chocolate Bitters
** Grapefruit Bitters
** Peach Bitters
** Tonic Bitters
** Cucumber Bitters
** Olive Bitters
** Bogart's Bitters
* Scrappy's: (http://scrappysbitters.com/products/)
** Lavender Bitters
** Grapefruit Bitters
** Orange Bitters
** Cardamom Bitters
** Orleans Bitters
** Chocolate Bitters
** Celery Bitters
** Lime Bitters
** Aromatic Bitters
** Black Lemon Bitters
** Firewater Tincture
** Seville Orange (seasonal availability)
** Peach Bitters (no longer produced)
** Coffee Bitters (no longer produced)
** Cranberry Spice Bitters (no longer produced)
** Rye Barrel Spice Bitters (no longer produced)
** Special Run Bitters (no longer produced)
* BitterCube: (https://store.bittercube.com/)
** Cherry Bark Vanilla Bitters
** Bolivar Bitters
** Orange Bitters
** Trinity Bitters
** Root Beer Bitters
** Jamaican No. 1 Bitters
** Jamaican No. 2 Bitters
** Blackstrap Bitters
** Chipotle Cacao Bitters
** Ginger Spiced Cherry Bark Vanilla Bitters (Limited Edition)
* Bittermans: (http://bittermens.com/products/)
** Xocolatl Mole Bitters
** Grapefruit Bitters
** ‘Elemakule Tiki Bitters
** Boston Bittahs
** Burlesque Bitters
** Orange Cream Citrate
** Orchard Street Celery Shrub
** Hellfire Habanero Shrub
** Scarborough Savory Herbal Bitters
** Transatlantic Modern Aromatic Bitters
** Buckspice Ginger Bitters
** New England Spiced Cranberry
** Крупнік (Krupnik) Herbal Honey Bitters
** Winter Melon Bitters
** Squirrel Nut Bitters (out of production)

Revision as of 16:37, 24 January 2020

Bitters in one form or another, have been around for hundreds, if not thousands of years. They are essentially a concentrated extract of herbs and/or spices, typically with a high alcohol content. Originally intended to be used for their alleged medicinal value, they evolved over time to become alcoholic elixirs in their own right.

When the cocktail first came onto the scene (circa. 1800) bitters were used as a defining ingredient, and were considered as required for over a hundred years. According to "Old Waldorf Bar Days" (1931, by Albert Stevens Crockett):

In the Old Waldorf Bar Book, bitters of one kind or other was considered a necessary ingredient of most Gin cocktails. The favorite was Orange Bitters, which appears in something like one hundred different recipes. A distant second was  Angostura. Then there were Calisaya, Boonekamp, Boker's, Amer Picon, Hostetter's, Pepsin, Peychaud, Fernet Branca, and so on. The Bitters was used in small quantities, ordinarily described as "one dash" or "two." But Bitters used to contain alcohol and prohibition made most brands illegal to import. One well known firm which specialized during prohibition in importing liquors whose alcoholic content had been reduced until they could be brought in as "flavoring extracts," told me it had not imported Orange Bitters in fourteen years.

After American Prohibition, bitters all but disappeared from the scene. Angostura Aromatic Bitters became the only bitters that was readily available, and even so, it was rarely used.

Available Bitters

Here is a valiant attempt at trying to list all of the currently available bitters...

  • Angostura: (http://angosturabitters.com/)
    • Aromatic Bitters
    • Orange Bitters
  • Fee Brothers: (http://feebrothers.com/products/bitters)
    • Aztec Chocolate Bitters
    • Black Walnut Bitters
    • Cardamom Bitters
    • Celery Bitters
    • Cherry Bitters
    • Cranberry Bitters
    • Gin Barrel-Aged Orange Bitters
    • Grapefruit Bitters
    • Lemon Bitters
    • Lime Bitters
    • Mint Bitters
    • Molasses Bitters
    • Old Fashion Aromatic Bitters
    • Peach Bitters
    • Plum Bitters
    • Rhubarb Bitters
    • West Indian Orange Bitters
    • Whiskey Barrel-Aged Bitters
  • The Sazerac Company:
    • Peychaud's Bitters
    • Regans' Orange Bitters #6
  • Dale DeGroff's Pimento Aromatic Bitters (http://www.kingcocktail.com/bitters.htm)
  • The Bitter Truth: (https://the-bitter-truth.com/)
    • Aromatic Bitters
    • Orange Bitters
    • Lemon Bitters
    • Celery Bitters
    • Jerry Thomas Bitters
    • Creole Bitters
    • Chocolate Bitters
    • Grapefruit Bitters
    • Peach Bitters
    • Tonic Bitters
    • Cucumber Bitters
    • Olive Bitters
    • Bogart's Bitters
  • Scrappy's: (http://scrappysbitters.com/products/)
    • Lavender Bitters
    • Grapefruit Bitters
    • Orange Bitters
    • Cardamom Bitters
    • Orleans Bitters
    • Chocolate Bitters
    • Celery Bitters
    • Lime Bitters
    • Aromatic Bitters
    • Black Lemon Bitters
    • Firewater Tincture
    • Seville Orange (seasonal availability)
    • Peach Bitters (no longer produced)
    • Coffee Bitters (no longer produced)
    • Cranberry Spice Bitters (no longer produced)
    • Rye Barrel Spice Bitters (no longer produced)
    • Special Run Bitters (no longer produced)
  • BitterCube: (https://store.bittercube.com/)
    • Cherry Bark Vanilla Bitters
    • Bolivar Bitters
    • Orange Bitters
    • Trinity Bitters
    • Root Beer Bitters
    • Jamaican No. 1 Bitters
    • Jamaican No. 2 Bitters
    • Blackstrap Bitters
    • Chipotle Cacao Bitters
    • Ginger Spiced Cherry Bark Vanilla Bitters (Limited Edition)
  • Bittermans: (http://bittermens.com/products/)
    • Xocolatl Mole Bitters
    • Grapefruit Bitters
    • ‘Elemakule Tiki Bitters
    • Boston Bittahs
    • Burlesque Bitters
    • Orange Cream Citrate
    • Orchard Street Celery Shrub
    • Hellfire Habanero Shrub
    • Scarborough Savory Herbal Bitters
    • Transatlantic Modern Aromatic Bitters
    • Buckspice Ginger Bitters
    • New England Spiced Cranberry
    • Крупнік (Krupnik) Herbal Honey Bitters
    • Winter Melon Bitters
    • Squirrel Nut Bitters (out of production)