If you’ve ever wondered why some drinks vary in taste from order to order, the most suspicious of characters is the bar hero’s understanding and consistency in the use of bitters.  Much like the desire to add salt to your favorite soup while cooking, bitters are the flavoring element of the cocktail.  Depending on the implementation, the bitters may fade into the background as a low note, or they may force themselves to the front to embody the aroma and taste of the cocktail.

Bitters are spirits, usually high in ABV, that have been flavored with spices, leaves, herbs, barks, roots, fruits, etc.  Most importantly, they are flavored without the addition of sugar, leaving the more bitter, tannic aspects of the ingredients to bare.  Although based in spirits, due to their inherent unsavory nature, bitters are considered to be non-potable alcohol.  This is why you often find the more popular Angostura or orange bitters at your local supermarket in the “mixers” section and not behind the counter.

As you may be inclined at this point to give bitters the side-eye, the best way to discover bitters is to use them.  You should be advised that bitters are often measured in recipes by drops (carefully adding a drop) or dashes (hard flick of the wrist).  Seldom are they listed in fractions of ounces or milliliters, since that amount would usually overtake the cocktail.  Additionally, a collection of bitters is a matter of pride to most bar programs.  The time and cost of making or acquiring bitters would preclude the heavy use of bitters in most cocktails, especially if many cocktails were expected to be served at a sitting.  It is not uncommon for a 4 oz. bottle of bitters to last months in a bar environment, and a year or more in a home bar.

To explore bitters, start the matter slowly, adding drops.  Taking small steps will allow you to try a cocktail without bitters, then add a little of the bitters, stir/shake, and try the cocktail again.  Still not doing it for you?  Add more bitters, stir/shake, and try the cocktail again.  Until you arrive at your final bar recipe, playing with bitters will expose you to a new and exciting world of cocktails.  In fact, the use of exotic bitters from ingredients sourced around the globe have made some amazing cocktails at the most affluent of bars.