Quick Guide: What are Bitters for Cocktails?

By Timo Torner / Last updated on December 4, 2023

Bartenders love cocktail bitters for being unique ingredients to mixed drinks. Two or three small dashes or drops of these mostly orange-brown elixirs can significantly alter the taste of a drink. But what are bitters, and how are they made?
What are bitters for cocktails

Bitters for cocktails are an integral element of every home or professional bar. They are key to several cocktail classics like the Old Fashioned, Champagne cocktail, and the Manhattan.

For the last 10 to 20 years, a cocktail bitters boom has been stirring up the mixology scene. In 2000, the only bitters you could find were Angostura bitters and Peychaud bitters. Those are still the most popular and recognized bitters, but plenty of other brands and products are now conquering the market.

The wide array of flavors leads to many new twists and riffs on classic cocktails. You can recreate almost all old recipes and jazz them up by using bitters creatively. Celery bitters, rhubarb bitters, and chocolate bitters are just three examples.

But what exactly are bitters? How are they produced, and how do you use them in cocktails? Read our guide to learn everything you need to know about the world of cocktail bitters.

What are Bitters?

What are bitters

Bitters are the mixology and bartending equivalent of salt and pepper in cooking. They are the seasoning for your cocktails by balancing, enhancing, and tying flavors in a drink. Bitters are made from neutral alcohol infused with botanical ingredients like spices, herbs, fruits, flowers, roots, and bark.

These flavoring ingredients give each bitters brand its signature taste, color, and aroma. The recipes for making bitters vary widely, but common ingredients are cinchona bark or gentian root due to their distinct bitter note, zesty essences of lemon or orange peels, and warm, spicy ingredients like cinnamon, cloves, and anise.

A thorough maceration process helps to extract as much flavor as possible. The result is an intensely flavored, bitter-tasting, and complex extract with an alcohol content of 35% to 45% ABV (Alcohol By Volume), equaling 70 to 90 proof.

What are bitters made of?

Bitters for cocktails are made of three main components:

  • High-proof alcohol (or glycerin when non-alcoholic)
  • Bittering ingredients like gentian root or cinchona bark
  • Flavorings like herbs, spices, bark, flowers, or citrus fruits

A neutral, high-proof alcohol is key to extracting the flavors of the ingredients. In rare cases, bitter producers also use flavored spirits like aged rum or whiskey to create a distinct flavor profile. Alcohol-free bitters use vegetable glycerin as an alternative.

Cocktail bitters always contain a bitter base ingredient that helps to build complexity. In many cases, that's either gentian root or cinchona bark. Gentian root is the most common option due to its clean, bitter taste. 

The plant grows in the European Alps and is used in bitters for cocktails, but also in bitter liqueurs like Amari. Cinchona bark, on the other hand, is best known for being the key ingredient in tonic water. Further bettering agents are wormwood, cassia bark, dandelion root, and Angelica root.

The flavorings are the main component in bitters. There's a variety of ingredients to flavor bitters, and most brands use a large set of ingredients to create more complex flavor profiles. 

Aromatic bitters like Angostura often use a warm mix of spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice. Citrus bitters like Regan’s Orange Bitters use peels of citrus fruits to bring bright citrus flavors into their bitters. Herbal bitters include coriander, sage, and cardamom, while floral bitters rely on lavender, hibiscus, rose petals, and chamomile. Fruity bitters use whole fruits to flavor the alcoholic base with cherry, passion fruit, or pineapple. 

How are Bitters Made?

How are bitters made

Making bitters is not rocket science. Usually, bitters are high-proof alcohol infused with botanicals. The alcohol extracts the flavors and aromas during the process. And the base spirit can be anything. If making your own bitters, vodka is a great choice. But you could also use whiskey or rum.

These are the steps to make bitters:

  1. Decide what kind of bitters you want to create.
  2. Select base spirits and botanicals accordingly.
  3. Add all to a jar, close it, and let it sit for two weeks. Shake the mixture every other day to help with the maceration process.
  4. Strain into a second jar. Simmer the solids for 10 to 15 minutes with water and put that mixture into a third jar. Let both sit for another week.
  5. Strain the third jar and mix with the spirit mixture from the second jar. If needed, sweeten them with honey, simple syrup, or molasses. Let it sit for three days.
  6. Your bitters are ready to be bottled.

As the alcohol is high-proof, your bitters will almost live forever. So don't worry if the batch you created seems quite large. You'll have plenty of time to use them.

In case you want to make non-alcoholic bitters, the process requires fewer steps but a longer maceration process. A base of water and vegetable glycerin with a ratio of 25% to 75%. Add your botanical flavorings and shake the mixture every second day for the next 6 to 8 weeks; Then strain and bottle.

How do Bitters Taste?

The exact taste varies for each product, but they all have a distinct bitter note. Angostura bitters, for example, pair bitter flavors with a mix of warm, spicy flavors of cinnamon and cloves. These warm, complex flavors help create more flavor depth in simple drink recipes like Old Fashioned or Manhattan.

Other, more specific bitters often bring a very distinct flavor into drinks. For example, lavender bitters add floral and perfumy lavender notes to cocktails, while chocolate bitters bring in a sweet and rich chocolate note.

Are Bitters Alcoholic?

Most bitters have a high alcohol content of 35% to 45%. ABV. That helps to preserve the intense flavors and even amplifies the taste. However, there are also non-alcoholic bitters that contain no alcohol at all. These are excellent for mocktails or if you want to flavor plain club soda.

How to Use Bitters

Bitters are easy to use. Simply add a dash of bitters to your cocktail, to easily balance the drink's flavors while deepening the flavor profile. That effect is based on the idea that a dish or a drink tastes better if it covers as many of the five basic tastes as possible. These are sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umami.

A primarily sweet and sour drink, benefits immensely from the bitter depth. A look at Sour cocktails illustrates this principle. A sour consists of spirit, citrus juice, and simple syrup, which makes it primarily sweet and sour. Adding two dashes of aromatic bitters increases the complexity of flavors and adds a distinct bitter note. To further improve the flavor profile, add a salty note by incorporating a few drops of saline solution.

This way of using bitters works best in simple concoctions with limited ingredients. Highballs are excellent for experimenting with cocktail bitters. A Rum & Coke enhanced with cherry bitters and a Vodka Soda flavored with orange bitters are easy to make and are much better drinks. You can also improve your classic Gin and Tonic with bitters by pairing flavors of bitters with botanicals in the gin.

But classic two-ingredient cocktails benefit from flavor complexity. For example, you can lift your ordinary Dry Martini by using bitters in the drink.

How to Use Bitters in Cocktails

When using bitters to make cocktails, there are three different ways to incorporate them:

  1. Ingredient: Use bitters in the recipe before mixing the drink, like in an Old Fashioned.
  2. Garnish - Use aromatic bitters to garnish a drink with a float, like in a Queen's Park Swizzle, or drops on foam, as in a Pisco Sour cocktail.
  3. Base: In rare cases, bitters are base spirits in cocktails. These drinks are often full of flavor with extra bold taste, like the Trinidad Sour or Angostura Colada.

If bitters are regular ingredients, they're combined with base spirit, sweetener, and other ingredients like citrus juices and liqueurs. The drink is then stirred or shaken. This way of incorporating bitters makes full use of the complex flavor profile and deepens the flavor profile of a cocktail.

When using bitters as a garnish, the bitters don't mix as well with the other ingredients. Therefore, they only add a visual touch and an elevated aroma to the drink.

Cocktails Made with Bitters

Cocktail made with bitters

There are thousands of cocktail recipes that use bitters. Here are the most famous ones:

This list is by no means complete. You can write entire books about drinks using cocktail bitters. However, it gives you a quick introduction to how bitters work and what kind of drinks you can make with them. From there, you may experiment, discover, and explore further recipes.

Bitters in Soda Water

Using bitters in soda water is one of the easiest and most refreshing ways to use cocktail bitters. You can either make a plain version, known as Bitters and Soda or "Bits and Bubs," or opt for the more flavorful combination called Rock Shandy, consisting of 1 part club soda, 1 part lemonade, plus half a teaspoon of Angostura bitters.

Both drinks are easy to make and super refreshing. The best of it: these beverages are tasty, almost alcohol-free, and good for your guts.

Other Uses of Bitters

You can use bitters in many ways. By remembering that bitters are basically seasoning, you may use their aromatic flavors in beer, wine, tea, coffee, marinades, and food. There are no limits to how you can use bitters.

How are Bitters Measured?

In most cases, bitters are used in small quantities, either in drops or dashes. This measurement may sound inaccurate, but one dash equals 0.92ml or 1/32 of an ounce. If you want to compare them directly: one dash is as much as ten drops. For a more detailed look at these measurements, check out our guide on "How much is a dash?"

Bitters in Non-Alcoholic Drinks and Mocktails

Non-alcoholic drink with bitters

Many people asked us whether it is okay to use bitters as ingredients in non-alcoholic drinks and Mocktail recipes. The answer is, that using standard (alcoholic) bitters will always bring alcohol to your drinks. So, if you aim for no alcohol, don't use alcoholic bitters. 

However, looking at the legal point of view, in the United States, every beverage below 0.5% Alcohol By Volume counts as non-alcoholic. 

With this standard, drinks like Bitters & Soda or Rock Shandy certainly are alcohol-free. If you're looking for beverages that contain strictly no alcohol, opt for non-alcoholic bitters instead.

Are There Non-Alcoholic Bitters

Yes, there are non-alcoholic bitters available for cocktails. Most of these bitters are glycerin-based bitters, like alcohol-free ones from All The Bitter or El Guapo. They use a blend of botanicals to provide rich and complex flavors to drinks without the alcohol content. They might not pack the same amount of flavors as standard options, but these non-alcoholic bitters are perfect for anyone who wants to enjoy flavorful drinks without any alcohol.

Can Bitters Get You Drunk?

Yes, they absolutely can get you drunk. The standard ABV of bitters ranges between 35% and 45%. Angostura bitters, the most popular ones, contain a whopping 44.7%, making it stronger than standard gin, rum, and whiskey, which typically clock in at 40% ABV.

However, adding a few drops or dashes to your soda water won't do so. Instead, you must drink bitters pure (not recommended) or use them as a base in cocktails like a Trinidad Sour. Then, bitters, like any other strongly alcoholic spirit, will get you drunk.

History of Bitters

Bitters have a fascinating history that spans centuries, evolving from medicinal tonics to essential cocktail ingredients. Their origins trace back to ancient Egypt when herbs were infused into wine for their therapeutic properties. 

History of bitters- Stoughton's bitters label

During the Middle Ages, the availability of distilled alcohol led to the development of herbal medicines, and concentrated herbal bitters and tonic waters became common.

In the 16th century, physician Paracelsus compounded bitters for medicinal purposes, laying the foundation for their use in treating various ailments. By the 18th century, adding herbal bitters to wine had gained popularity in Britain and the American colonies. As a forerunner of the Old Fashioned, Stoughton's bitters were added to sweetened brandy to create a balanced, flavorful drink that was supposed to be good for your health.

 In 1806, the cocktail was born, a mixture of spirits, sugar, water, and bitters. Bitters played a crucial role in softening the taste of harsh liquors in cocktails.

Angostura bitters, named after a city rather than the angostura tree, became famous in the early 19th century for their medicinal properties. 

Thanks to innovative bartenders, a revival of cocktails and mocktails in the 1990s renewed interest in bitters. Today, bitters come in various flavors and types, and mixologists continue to experiment with new combinations, making them an indispensable part of modern cocktails and a testament to their enduring legacy in the world of beverages.

Are Bitters Healthy?

Bitters were traditionally produced as medicinal tonics to help with a healthy lifestyle. And in fact, bitters can indeed have some health benefits. The taste of bitterness triggers our bodies, which respond by increasing the production of digestive juices and saliva. 

This natural reaction aids in the breakdown of food, leading to better nutrient absorption and supporting liver detoxification. Moreover, there's a fascinating link between our taste buds and stress reduction through the gut-brain connection, suggesting that consuming bitter foods might help alleviate stress. 

Additionally, activating specific receptors in the mouth and gastrointestinal tract by bitter compounds can contribute to weight control and reducing sugar cravings. While moderation is key, incorporating bitter flavors into your diet can offer these health advantages and contribute to overall well-being.

Digestive Bitters vs. Cocktail Bitters

Digestive bitters and cocktail bitters, although sharing a similar extraction process from bitter roots and herbs, serve distinct purposes. Digestive bitters are primarily designed for potential digestive benefits and are often categorized as herbal supplements. They are generally less favored and focus on the bitterness of the herbs. 

In contrast, cocktail bitters are crafted with a heavier emphasis on flavor and seasonings, intended to enhance the taste of cocktails. While there is ingredient overlap between the two, digestive bitters prioritize their potential health benefits, whereas cocktail bitters are dedicated to elevating the taste profiles of mixed drinks. 

Popular digestive bitters are amaro liqueurs like Campari and Fernet Branca, and other herbal liqueurs like Jägermeister, Underberg, Unicum, and Riga Black Balsam.

For cocktail bitters, there are many brands we love and recommend, like The Bitter Truth, Bittermens, Scrappy's, Fee Brother's, and more.

Different Types of Bitters

When you only had the choice between Angostura and Peychaud bitters, there was no need for categories. Today, that changed dramatically.

Types of Cocktail bitters

A wide range of flavors is available, and to keep track, we need to categorize them. Yet, some flavor profiles are so unique that you can't classify them. However, most fall into one of the categories below.

Angostura Aromatic bitters

Aromatic bitters like Angostura are traditionally made of botanicals like cinnamon, clove, ginger, cardamom, and more. They often are used in classic Rum and Whiskey cocktails, like an Old Fashioned. But they also work well on top of egg-white foam of sour cocktails like Whiskey Sour.

Peychaud's Bitters

Peychaud's Bitters were invented by Antoine Peychaud, a Creole apothecary originally from Saint-Domingue, now known as Haiti. After settling in New Orleans in the late 18th century, Peychaud crafted these gentian-based bitters with a unique profile. Peychaud's Bitters are characterized by their pronounced anise aroma complemented by subtle mint undertones, setting it apart from other bitters like Angostura. 

Celery bitters

Celery-flavored bitters have been around since the 19th century but with slightly different recipes. The modern take on celery bitters usually is based on celery seeds. While it may sound like a weird idea, their vegetal and earthy notes work exceptionally well when combined with citrus notes from a lemon. I prefer them in Martinis and selected Gin cocktails.

Chocolate bitters

Chocolate bitters are made with cocoa and cacao. They work great with barrel-aged spirits, and I love to combine chocolate bitters with Rum or Rye Whiskey Old Fashioneds. The chocolatey notes also work great with vanilla and coffee aromas that, in turn, all work great with a good, aged Rum.

Citrus bitters

Citrus bitters usually are obtained from lime, lemon, and grapefruit. You can also find some that combine two or even all three citrus fruits in a single bitters bottle. The result is a very bright and complex citrus aroma.

Floral bitters

If you don't know what to expect from floral bitters, think of chamomile, lavender, hibiscus, and jasmine. This group might be the most versatile category. Depending on the botanicals used, floral bitters can taste very different. They usually work great in Gin drinks and are often paired with a floral cocktail garnish.

Fruity bitters

You can make fruit cocktail bitters from all sorts of fruits. Because orange and other citrus fruits have their category, they are excluded here. The fruit bitters category is for all remaining fruits. Try, for instance, apple and cranberry in the winter or peaches in the summer.

Hot or spicy bitters

I love the idea of hot and spicy bitters very much. They allow you to add a very well-balanced level of spiciness to your drink without overdoing it. If you try the same by using jalapeño or habanero chilies in your cocktail recipe, it can become quite tricky to balance the spice.

Orange bitters

You probably wonder why we have citrus and orange bitters on this list. While oranges are citrus fruits, there are just so many different orange bitters that they have a separate category. These bitters work great in a Dry Martini but also in other classics like a Negroni.

Recommended Bitters for Making Cocktails

If you don't know which cocktail bitters to choose for your home bar, I have these recommendations for you - of course, the classics ca not be missed:

  1. Angostura bitters
  2. Peychaud's bitters
  3. Fee Brothers West Indian Orange Cocktail bitters
  4. Woodford Reserve Chocolate bitters
  5. Scrappy's Bitters - Celery
  6. Hella Citrus Bitters

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