Post #601867 by GatorRob on Wed, Aug 10, 2011 3:53 PM

On 2011-08-10 13:27, arriano wrote:
OK, I'm just going to throw myself out there and admit it: I'm confused about bitters. Intrigued by all the choices that are available nowadays, but confused nonetheless.

The fact that we're even having such a conversation about all these bitters choices out there is a truly awesome thing. Celery bitters were extinct for about, what, 100 years? And now they're available again (thanks to the Bitter Truth). That's great! But, yeah, I hear you. It IS confusing. I have a growing collection of bitters bottles. Several get regular use while quite a few sit there going "Pick me! Pick me!". Like the nerdy kid on PE kickball day, they get overlooked.

But what I think you're looking for is rules, or... less strictly, guidelines. I think you're already heading in the right direction with your assumptions. But honestly, my philosophy is: try it and if you like it, it's the right one to use. Simple as that. An Old Fashioned may traditionally only have Angostura bitters, but the best Old Fashioned I've ever had (and now repeated on quite a few occasions) uses three types of bitters. Use bitters like you would a spice in food. A dash of this, a dash of that... Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn't. But it's great that we now have so many tools in our tool chest from which to choose!