Most cocktail recipes call for a dash of bitters to add complexity to their character. The addition of a few drops of these bitters elevates the flavour of other ingredients in the cocktail, thus making the drink more flavourful.
Bitters are made from infusing spices, fruits, flowers, herbs, roots, tree barks or seeds in neutral spirits. It’s a liquor-based flavouring agent that packs a lot of flavour and aroma in one single drop. They come in a variety of flavours to suit various cocktail requirements. While some spicy bitters are highly popular, new nut-flavoured bitters are gaining popularity at adventurous bars.
There are four major types of bitters –
- Aromatic – The most popular type, these bitters are infused with herbs, spices and barks. This type is used in classic cocktail recipes of Manhattan and Old Fashioned. The most-known and popularly-bought aromatic bitters are Angostura bitters.
- Citrus – Citrus flavours are used to add a tinge of sugar-citrus flavour to cocktails, helping in balancing the overall flavour profile of the drink. Orange bitters are one of the most-sold type of citrus bitters, with lemon and grapefruit bitters gaining popularity in the range.
- Herbal – Herbal bitters are the best choice for a balanced character of flavour and aroma in a cocktail. Lavender and thyme bitters are the most popular type in this category.
- Nut – One of the most recently-introduced bitters, nut bitters are used for their dark and roasted flavour profile. Coffee and chocolate bitters are the most-used bitters in this range.
While some cocktails require commercial bitters, bartenders are creating home-made and in-house ones to complement their original cocktail recipes. Owing to their versatile nature, bitters are used extensively in other alcoholic beverages as well. If you have a home bar, you should definitely stock up on some popularly-used ones. A few of the known cocktails that use bitters in their recipes are The Sawyer, Martini, Old Fashioned, Sazerac and Manhattan.
