What is the best bitters currently available?

I am new to bitters and would like to know what is the best kind to make Tiki drinks. I have access to some very good liquor stores near Palo Alto but would like to avoid mail order.

I like this topic. Fee Brothers have a large variety of flavors and from what I'm tasted they all seem good.

Fees old-fashioned bitters are great for tropical drinks (not so much for whiskey cocktails), but Angostura is the tiki standard. As for orange bitters, Regan's makes a great one. I haven't tried the Bitter Truth brand but I heard many raves about them.

I only found Fees in a few gourmet shops and since you live in Palo Alto, I'd recommend the Cask store in downtown SF.

On 2009-07-08 20:46, SuperEight wrote:
I am new to bitters and would like to know what is the best kind to make Tiki drinks.

That depends entirely on the cocktail you are making.

Most of the 'tiki' drinks that call for bitters use Angostura. Actually, most drinks that call for bitters use Angostura because they have been around the longest.

Most recipes that use something other than 'Regular' bitters will specify Orange Bitters, or Lemon Bitters, or whatever Bitters.

As an ingredient, most bitters generally don't do much on the tongue except be bitter. There are stronger and weaker notes in each of them and I have a lot of fun changing up the bitters used in a cocktail to see what happens. Where they all really make a difference is in the aroma of the finished cocktail. Some bitters are more aromatic than others, like Reagan's Orange, and can really take a cocktail to that next level as far as final presentation.

So, to answer your question directly, get the small bottles of what ever Beltramo's (sp?) has to offer.

And, if you don't want to do the mail-order thing, Beltramo's is pretty good at getting stuff if you ask.

A wonderful cocktail that I have had the pleasure of having at Drink, in Boston, several times, is something called the DLB, or Don's Little Bitters, which is a cocktail which consists of nearly all bitters, with a rum base and a little bit of lemon juice. Bitters can be more fun than just that little dash!

Suzanne

While I haven't tried this drink at the bar, I have tried Suzanne's version of it, for which I can indeed vouch. Yes indeedy! Quite a marvelous tour of taste!

Do bitters get old? I have had some for a while.

One of my regular haunts stock a huge range of bitters and also make their own.They recently got in the Bitter Truth range,which i've tried a few of,and must say they are very good.

I have no problem finding angostura, and Peychauds at routine stores, but for other varieties and flavors, I have ordered over the internet.

The below link, has a variety, including Regans orange, Angostura orange, and several Fees flavors.

They even have a variety pack of Fees.

https://www.kegworks.com/search/search.php?keywords=bitters

As others have said, I think that you'll find Angostura to be the most versatile overall, followed by orange bitters. I love Gary Regan's Orange Bitters, although I find them to work better in old school whiskey & gin cocktails. Personally I find the new(ish) Angostura Orange Bitters to work better in Tiki cocktails. The AOB seem to be more aromatic and spicy than Gary's Orange Bitters. Fee Brother's Grapefruit Bitters work well in Tiki cocktails as well, which figures since grapefruit juice is such a common ingredient in so many Tiki cocktails. As an aside, I find that bitters add more than just bitterness on the palette, they add an important aromatic note to cocktails. Try making a Manhattan with and without bitters and you will see the difference.

Okay, about that Manhattan. How much bitters would you add? 1 drop or several. Also, what proportion of vermouth do you recommend?

For Manhattans, I usually go for two dashes of Angostura and a dash of orange bitters. Vermouth is no more than half an ounce.

Stirrrings makes a Blood Orange bitter that I like.

On 2009-07-12 14:17, Shaun of theTiki wrote:
For Manhattans, I usually go for two dashes of Angostura and a dash of orange bitters. Vermouth is no more than half an ounce.

I do nearly the same-2 dashes of Angostura, one of Orange (preferable Regan's), but I mix 3/1 Rye to Vermouth. Love the Rittenhouse 100 proof, and Wild Turkey 101 proof Rye. My favourite Sweet Vermouth is Dolin Vermouth de Chambéry.

Indeed, there's a happy balence in that bitter combination. For ryes, I stick to 6-year Sazerac. I'm tempted to either get Vya or the Antica Formica vermouth.

On 2009-07-09 15:09, swizzle wrote:
One of my regular haunts stock a huge range of bitters and also make their own.They recently got in the Bitter Truth range,which i've tried a few of,and must say they are very good.

I saw that this company called Bitterman's has some interesting new products and that they partnered up with the Bitter Truth. Has anyone tried their stuff, particularly the ‘Elemakule Tiki Cocktail Bitters or Xocolatl Mole Bitters described in the link below?

http://bittermens.com/the-bitters/

On 2009-09-26 02:02, Trader Tom wrote:
I saw that this company called Bitterman's has some interesting new products and that they partnered up with the Bitter Truth. Has anyone tried their stuff, particularly the ‘Elemakule Tiki Cocktail Bitters or Xocolatl Mole Bitters described in the link below?

Yes, I've tried their mole bitters both in a cocktail and sampled on the tongue (and hands and nose!). And it's very, very good. Get it. I don't have a bottle yet though. Too expensive right now. Search around on Google for it. It's been written up quite a bit in the cocktail blogs. Fee's has an Aztec Chocolate bitters, which I do have. Haven't gotten very familiar with it yet, but looking forward to it.

The Thirsty Travelor did an episode (last night) on Angostura Bitters. I like this show.

THE STORY OF ANGOSTURA BITTERS

How to Make Homemade Orange Bitters

I've gotten kinda hooked on bitters, and often use them liberally. Don's Little Bitters (mentioned earlier by Suzanne) sounds tasty.

Not just cocktails, but a few shakes into orange juice in the morning, or even some squirts into plain sparkling water to give it a little zip. Just recently I got Fee Bros' whiskey barrel aged bitters, and really like that flavor.

BTW, that was at Beltramo's, which was also mentioned here.

-Randy

Has anyone else used the tiki bitters? Not sure what they would go in, since everything is so drop of this dash of that

Bittermen's Tiki Bitters can go into any tiki drink that calls for Angostura. Their flavor profile is all Caribbean spices and pairs perfectly with rum. I think about 6-8 drops equals a dash. They lend themselves to experimentation, as well. Just try mixing a little with some rum, simple syrup, and lime to understand the flavors and take it from there!

The Elemakule Tiki bitters are nice. As was mentioned above, subbing them in tiki recipes calling for Angostura works really well. I like to work grapefruit bitters into some recipes using grapefruit juice, especially if the juice is a bit on the watery or sweet side. I also have a roasted pineapple bitters that is nice in many tiki drinks. I've been considering trying a coffee bitters I have in some of the coffee-containing drinks that call for Angostura, or maybe a combo of the Elemakule bitters and the coffee bitters. I'm at about 22 different bitters in my cabinet right now but I'd only consider 3 essential (Angostura, Peychaud's and an orange bitters) with maybe 8 - 10 that get used somewhat frequently. The rest are just things that sounded interesting enough to want to check out.

I made something years ago with peach bitters, Brizzard Aprie, and for the life of me the other ingredients vanished from my brain- but i do remember it was super tasty!

I was going to pick up the Bittermans Chocolate Bitters and also the Brooklyn Hemispherical Rhubarb bitters to give those a try

Rhubarb bitters seem to make a great old fashion and the chocolate might play nicely in drinks with Creme de Cacao i was thinking