THE BITTER TRUTH Elegant Additions Elevate Cocktails
WRITTEN BY DONNA BROUSSEAU PHOTOGRAPHY BY KYLE RIPLEY, HAIGWOOD S TUDIOS 28
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I was bitten by the bitters bug a year or so ago. I invited an alchemist friend, Sandra Kolka, owner of Sprezzatura Culinary Consultancy, for lunch. As I followed her to the restaurant table, I couldn’t help but notice that the colorful bag she had slung over her shoulder was making a decidedly clinking noise like bottles smashing together. I said, “Yikes! Did I mistakenly tell you this was a BYOB lunch?”
Recipes by Chris Dobson, Beverage Manager, Cooks & Soldiers
C&S Old Fashioned Yield: 1 drink 2 ounces Elijah Craig 12-Year-Old Bourbon 1/4 ounce simple syrup 1 dash Bittercube Orange Bitters 1 dash Fee Brothers’ Old Fashion Aromatic Bitters 1 Griotte cherry 1 orange slice for garnish Muddle all ingredients except the garnish together in a cocktail shaker. Add ice and using a cocktail spoon lightly stir ingredients together. Strain, pour over ice into a coupe or a rocks glass, garnish with orange slice and serve.
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s we settled in for the meal, she started digging deep into her bag and pulling out mysterious potions in little apothecary bottles containing Meyer lemon bitters, grapefruit bitters, root beer bitters and celery bitters. The bottles just kept coming. I must admit the waitress hovered around awhile, probably thinking we had slipped in our own alcohol. We asked for two glasses of soda water and two empty glasses, and we started tasting. I was hooked, amazed at the flavor that just a drop or two of bitters added. I couldn’t wait to rush home and whip up a batch of Bloody Marys with just a dash of the celery bitters and maybe one or two drops of the Meyer lemon. My mind was racing with the possibilities. Subsequently, I’ve heard from other bitters fanatics that bitters are a lot like salt and pepper in the cocktail world. However, to me they are a whole lot more than that; I would throw my spice rack and herb garden into the mix in describing them.
Fox Manhattan Yield: 1 drink 2 1/2 1/2 2 1
ounces Rittenhouse Rye ounce Bénédictine ounce Carpano Antica Formula Vermouth dashes Bittercube Cherry Bark Vanilla Bitters Griotte cherry for garnish
Combine all ingredients except garnish in a cocktail shaker with ice. Using a cocktail spoon lightly stir ingredients together. Strain, pour into a coupe, garnish with cherry and serve.
Cooks & Soldiers 691 14th Street N.W. 404/996-2623 cooksandsoldiers.com
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Bitters have the unique power of elevating a cocktail from the ordinary to the extraordinary, providing it with depth, intrigue and those delicious mysterious elements that you just can’t place your finger on. They make you stop for a moment and really think about what’s happening in your glass. Like most things alcohol-related, bitters started off as medicine. They are made by taking a high-proof spirit and infusing it with concentrated herbs, fruits, roots and spices. As far back as the Middle Ages, these high-proof spirits were used to treat maladies across the board, from simple digestive upsets to jaundice,
seasickness to liver and kidney issues, and even colic in babies. Bitters have come a long way from those medicinal days and even from the days when the dusty, large-labeled bottle of Angostura bitters sat perched behind the bar, unopened and lonely. Nowadays everyone who is serious about cocktails has realized the eloquence of bitters. They are liquid concentrations of flavors ranging from simple cherries and lemons to crazy concoctions such as a chocolate mole and even a Sriracha bitters coming out of Brooklyn. Bitters have elevated the cocktail scene, sparking debate, creativity and vision.
Recipes provided by Saltwood, Loews Hotel Atlanta
Manhattan After Dark Yield: 1 drink 2 1 3 1
ounces Maker’s Mark Bourbon ounce sweet vermouth dashes Fee Brothers’ Aztec Chocolate Bitters Amarena cherry for garnish
Place all ingredients except for garnish in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Stir gently until just mixed and chilled. Strain into a martini glass. Garnish with Amarena cherry.
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WHERE TO BUY BITTERS AROUND ATLANTA In addition to your favorite liquor store, check out the following establishments. H & F Bottleshop 2357 Peachtree Road N.E. 404/841-4070 hfbottleshop.com Savi Provisions 1388 Dresden Drive N.E. 404/869-1818 saviprovisions.com (Two additional locations) Star Provisions 1198 Howell Mill Road N.W. 404/365-0410 starprovisions.com
Online Sources for Great Bitters: brooklynbitters.com 1821bitters.com bitterendbitters.com masterofmalt.com angosturabitters.com feebrothers.com/products
Two Faced Tea Yield: 1 drink 1 1/2 1 6 3
ounces Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum ounce simple syrup ounces unsweetened black tea (steeped 5 to 10 minutes), cooled drops Brooklyn Hemispherical Sriracha Bitters fresh mint and orange twist for garnish
Place all ingredients except garnishes in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Stir gently until just mixed. Strain into Manhattan glass with fresh ice if desired. Garnish with fresh mint and a flamed orange twist and serve.
GUIDE ESSENTIAL BITTERS FOR YOUR HOME BAR
Something aromatic Something fruity
18.21 Bitters’ Aromatic Bitters Peychaud’s Aromatic Bitters
Something citrusy Something spicy Something unique
18.21 Bitters’ Grapefruit Lavender Bitters Brooklyn Hemispherical Bitters’ Meyer Lemon Bitters
Fee Brothers’ Rhubarb Bitters Fee Brothers’ Peach Bitters
18.21 Bitters’ Spicy Creole Bitters Brooklyn Hemispherical Bitters’ Sriracha Bitters 18.21 Bitters’ Japanese Chili and Lime Bitters Bitter Bastards’ Black Truffle Bitters The Bitter End’s Memphis Barbeque Bitters
Saltwood, Loews Atlanta Hotel 1065 Peachtree Street N.E. 404/745-5000 loewshotels.com
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Recipes provided by 18.21 Bitters
Cayenne Island Yield: 1 drink 1 1/2 3/4 3/4 1/2 6–7
ounces Solbeso ounce The King’s Ginger liqueur ounce 18.21 Bitters Tiki Thai Syrup ounce fresh lemon juice drops 18.21 Bitters Japanese Chili and Lime Bitters dash cayenne pepper
Shake all ingredients, except pepper, in a shaker over ice and strain into a coupe glass. Sprinkle with cayenne pepper and serve.
Monet’s Garden Yield: 1 drink 1 1/2 3/4 3/4 1/2 1 8 1 1
ounces gin ounce St-Germain ounce 18.21 Bitters Apple Cardamom Shrub ounce fresh lemon juice egg white drops 18.21 Bitters Grapefruit Lavender Bitters fresh rosemary sprig for garnish edible violet for garnish
Put all ingredients except garnish into a shaker and dry shake (no ice) for 10 seconds. Then wet shake (with ice) for another 10 seconds. Strain into a rocks glass over 1 large ice cube, garnish with rosemary sprig and violet and serve. 18.21 Bitters 675 Ponce de Leon Avenue N.E. 404/852-7023 1821bitters.com
Pioneering bartenders and entrepreneurs have embraced bitters with a passion, including our homegrown duo Missy and Kristin Koefod. They’re co-owners of 18.21 — named for the 18th Amendment and the 21st Amendment, which enacted and then repealed Prohibition — who are set to open up shop this year in Ponce City Market. They are not only crafting deep and flavorful cocktail bitters by hand, but also creating the tonics with which to serve them. So elevate your cocktails with this mysterious and intricate ingredient that will leave everyone wondering what it is and wanting more. Here, Atlanta establishments share a few of their favorite recipes to stir your creativity. After all, sometimes bitter really is a sweet idea.
DIY BITTER RECIPE Here is a recipe I have played around with that is fantastic in your Bloody Mary!
Celery Bitters
Recipe by Donna Brousseau, Chef/Cooking Instructor Yield: approximately 2 cups 1/4 1 3 2 1/2 1/8 1/4 1 2
cup roughly chopped lemongrass, pale green parts only (about 2 stalks) teaspoon coriander seeds mint leaves allspice berries teaspoon gentian root (cut, not powdered)* teaspoon dill seed (can substitute fennel if you like)** cup celery seed cup chopped celery cups 100-proof vodka
Place lemongrass, coriander, mint, allspice, and gentian root in a sealable glass jar, such as a Mason jar. Muddle briefly to bruise and break ingredients. Add dill and celery seed, celery, and vodka, then seal and shake. Let this mixture steep for 14 days, shaking daily.
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Strain out solids using a fine-mesh strainer, reserving liquid in the original jar. Place solids in a saucepan along with 1/2 cup water and cook on medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes. It will come to a gentle boil and the liquid will reduce slightly. Let this cool, then return this mixture to the original jar. Let steep for 2 more days. Strain out solids, then filter liquid through a coffee filter or cheesecloth. Filter until liquid is clear. Store at room temperature for up to 1 year. *Although there are many online stores that sell gentian root, I purchased mine from frontiercoop.com.
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Monet’s Garden
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