Author: Dirk Chan
A bitters is traditionally an alcoholic preparation flavored with botanicals such that the end result is characterized by a bitter, sour, or bittersweet flavor. Numerous longstanding brands of bitters were originally developed as patent medicines, but are now sold as digestifs and now as the finishing touches to a grand cocktail.
Some of the most popular bitters on the 1800s are still popular today, and were initially created with medicinal purposes in mind. Angostura bitters (now technically a supermarket product) are named after a Venezuelan town and were mixed together by as German physician to cure seasickness. Today’s nervous flyers occasionally find the same cocktails helpful to cure their anxieties, proving the adage of “a drink to calm one’s nerves” may occasionally have something to it after all. Due to the stronger, more intense flavour concentrations in addition to the high alcoholic proofs of most “original” bitters, many are used in small “dashes” or with droppers to flavour cocktails and thus are often called cocktail bitters.
In cocktails, bitters are best used for their ability to enhance a good mixed drink into a beautifully aromatic, balanced, and unforgettable one. One or two dashes of orange bitters, for instance, can blend seamlessly into a classically floral dry martini. With many varieties and hundreds of herbal, woody or floral ingredients, cocktail bitters can also provide a nearly unlimited number of flavouring possibilities above and beyond simple drink balancing to enhance the character of cocktails.
The Bitter Truth Bitters from Germany were specifically designed for recreating classic drinks made true to the original recipe or for experimentation with modern cocktail creations. Their bitters are all made in the traditional way using only the best quality natural ingredients. The Bitter Truth bitters have received multiple awards and will continue to innovate the bar world.
Here’s what we have from Bitter Truth at the moment (all in 200mL bottle format):
Bitter Truth Celery Bitters – $32.99
Bitter Truth Orange Bitters – $32.99
Bitter Truth Grapefruit Bitters – $32.99
Bitter Truth Lemon Bitters – $32.99
Bitter Truth Old Time Aromatic Bitters – $32.99
Bitter Truth Creole Bitters – $32.99
Bitter Truth Jerry Thomas’ Own Decanter Bitters – $32.99
Do come in to deVine’s to check out our huge collection of bitters, including brands from Bittermens, Scrappy’s, Bittered Sling and Apothecary.