How To Make Cocktail Bitters.
I’m about to tell you something really embarrassing.
Ever since the scene in Crazy, Stupid Love… the scene where Ryan Gosling makes a cocktail for Emma Stone… I’ve wanted to make bitters.
Really.
That’s been my driving force.
hu. miliating.
I mean, I’ve had bitters in my cocktails for years and have enjoyed them, but it was that – a freaking movie scene! – that sealed the deal. I was making them.
So bitters are occasionally described as the “salt and pepper” of cocktails or something like that. They add a little kick to some drinks and are staples in others like manhattans and the old fashioned. The most common bitters and the ones you’ve probably had before are angostura bitters, but the recipe is a big time secret and apparently only known by a handful of people in the universe. Fancy!
SO we just make our own. Cool? Cool.
[my glass is smudged. i fail.]
In all my hours of bitter research (and boy, do I mean hours), I learned a few things. Minor things but major things. For instance, there isn’t really a “true recipe” for creating bitters. It’s a lot of trial and error, it depends on your own palette, it depends on the herbs you have access to and things like that.
I discovered multiple methods that called for bittering agents (herbs and barks that you purchase) to sit for two days up until two months; methods that called for bitters to be made in one jar and one jar only; methods that called for six or seven separate jars for one ultimate flavor.
My brain was in complete bitter overload and about to explode.
Oomph.
I decided to just go with it. I knew I wanted to make a bunch of crazy flavors because, well… it’s me and nothing can even be classy and simple. Cherry vanilla topped the list, but so did chocolate. I decided to make both of those and used three separate jars: one for the main flavor (cherry and chocolate, respectively), one for the spice undertones and one for the bittering agents.
I also made some grapefruit bitters which only required two jars, and for the hell of it… made one-jar bitters at the last minute. The craziest thing is that I ended up LOV.ING. them.
The other thing about bitters is that once you have your flavored liquid and your bittering liquid (aside from the one-jar bitters mentioned above), they can become as sweet or as bitter as you’d like. This obviously takes a lot of (fun!) play time, taste testing and edits. There is no wrong answer – if it’s too sweet, add more of the bittering liquid. If it’s too bitter… more sweet flavor.
There are a few cases (the grapefruit and the chocolate) where I added a hint of simple syrup to really bring out the flavor. I loved the result with this. Oh and one thing I didn’t do was add any water to my mixtures. I found some methods did and some did not, and after lots of tasting I decided to forgo that option.
That means they are STA-RONG. Strong strong strong.
But it’s cool. You only need a few drops.
OMG. are you so totally bored? Hope not.
I’m almost done anyway. Then I will leave you to read the longest recipe in the universe. I’m still trying to figure out a way to shorten that list somehow (maybe with a clickable link to the other recipes?) so it isn’t so obnoxiously long, but this is what we’re working with today.
If you aren’t familiar with bitters but they sound cool, here are my thoughts. Head to a crafty bar or gastropub and taste taste taste. It’s all in the name of research. Even buy a bottle of bitters and make some of your own cocktails. Determine if you actually enjoy bitters and drinks made with bitters. Don’t be afraid of these recipes below if you haven’t tried bitters before. Example: if you don’t care for vodka, don’t shy away from the grapefruit bitters completely just because they are made with vodka. A few drops in a different cocktail? You won’t even be able to tell it’s vodka and you may love them.
Just my two cents.
To make a long story long, below are the combinations I used. They are by no means a perfect “recipe,” but my first method. I’m super happy with the results and can’t believe I had the patience to do something like this. I must be growing up.
Oh and as a final note, I found the best places to order these crazy herbs were from dandelion botanical and mountain rose herbs. Sure, I felt like I was having a box full of drugs delivered to my door (do not fear, I wasn’t and I’m just ignorant) but hey… gotta do what you gotta do. Now get to work! You can have these done by Christmas. Hint hint.
Homemade Cocktail Bitters
Ingredients
cherry vanilla bitters
- 8 ounces dried cherries
- 1 1/2 cups 101 proof bourbon
- 6 cardamom pods, crushed
- 2 tonka beans, cracked*
- 2 vanilla beans, scraped
- 2 star anise
- 1 1/2 cups 101 proof bourbon
- 1/2 tablespoon gentian root
- 1/2 tablespoon cassia chips
- 1/2 tablespoon wild cherry bark
- 1 cup 100 proof rye whiskey
chocolate bitters
- 1/2 cup cacao nibs
- 1 1/4 cups 101 proof bourbon
- 6 cardamom pods, chopped
- 2 tonka beans, cracked*
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1/2 vanilla bean, scraped
- 1 1/4 cups 101-proof bourbon
- 1 tablespoon gentian root
- 1 tablespoon sarsaparilla
- 1 teaspoon wild cherry bark
- 1 teaspoon cassia chips
- 1 teaspoon black walnut leaf
- 1 cup 100 proof rye whiskey
- 1/4 cup simple syrup
grapefruit bitters
- 3 grapefruits, rind removed
- 2 1/4 cups 100-proof vodka
- 1 thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger
- 1 tonka bean, cracked*
- 1/2 tablespoon culinary lavender
- 1/2 tablespoon juniper berries
- 1/2 tablespoon gentian root
- 1 teaspoon black walnut leaf
- 2 cups 100-proof vodka
- 1/4 cup simple syrup
strawberry ginger one-jar bitters
- 2/3 cups dried strawberries
- 1/2 tablespoon culinary lavender
- 1/2 tablespoon gentian root
- 1/2 tablespoon saspararilla
- 1/2 tablespoons wild cherry bark
- 1 teaspoon black walnut leaf
- 1 teaspoon cassia chips
- 1 teaspoon juniper berries
- 1 star anise
- 1 thumb-sized pieces of fresh ginger
- 2 tonka beans, cracked*
- 3 cups 101-proof bourbon
- *please note that tonka beans are not illegal to purchase but i believe it is illegal for restaurants to use them in food in the US. apparently when ingested in large quantities, they can be toxic. before using them, i suggest doing your own research. i felt comfortable enough to purchase a few and only used them to infuse the alcohol.
Instructions
cherry vanilla bitters
- Jar #1: In one jar, add the dried cherries and bourbon. Shake well.
- Jar #2: In the second jar, add the tonka beans, cardamom pods, scraped vanilla beans and pods, star anise and bourbon. Shake well.
- Jar #3: In the third jar, add the gentian root, cassia chips, wild cherry bark and rye whiskey. Shake well.
- Store all jars in a cool dark place. Shake the jars once per day.
- After 5 days, strain jar #3, removing all the herbs and anything that has settled on the bottom. Place the bitters back in the jar (cleaned or at least free of any bitter “sediment”) until ready to use. After 10 days, strain jars #1 and #2, and combine them together into one jar. Allow the mixture to sit for 3 days.
- Now it’s time to combine your bitters! I found that I needed to strain mine again, so do that if needed. You want them as clear as possible. There is no set “recipe” here – simply combine a few ounces of the cherry vanilla liquid and a few ounces of the bittering liquid until it reaches a bitterness you are content with. One you find it, use a mini funnel (I actually use parchment paper rolled into a funnel) and add the bitters to a jar with a dropper. Let them sit for another week before use, straining once again if needed before use. I found that the final strain got them super clear.
chocolate bitters
- Jar #1: Add the cocoa nibs and 101-proof bourbon. Shake well
- Jar #2: Add the tonka beans, cardamom pods, cinnamon stick, vanilla beans and 101-proof bourbon.
- Jar #3: Add the gentian root, saspararilla, wild cherry bark, cassia chips, black walnut leaf and 100-proof rye whiskey.
- Store all jars in a cool dark place. Shake the jars once per day.
- After 5 days, strain jar #3, removing all the herbs and anything that has settled on the bottom. Place the bitters back in the jar (cleaned or at least free of any bitter “sediment”) until ready to use. After 10 days, strain jars #1 and #2, and combine them together into one jar. Allow the mixture to sit for 3 days.
- After 3 days, strain your jars again add 1/4 cup simple syrup to the chocolate-flavored jar. Combine a few ounces of the chocolate liquid and a few ounces of the bittering liquid until it reaches a bitterness you are content with. Once you find it, use a mini funnel and add the bitters to a jar with a dropper. Let them sit for another week before use, straining once again if needed before use. I found that the final strain got them super clear.
grapefruit bitters
- Jar #1: Add the grapefruit rind 100-proof vodka. Shake well.
- Jar #2: Add the lavender, juniper berries, black walnut leaf, gentian root, tonka bean, ginger and 100-proof vodka. Shake well.
- Store all jars in a cool dark place. Shake the jars once per day.
- After 5 days, strain jar #2, removing all the herbs and anything that has settled on the bottom. Place the bitters back in the jar (cleaned or at least free of any bitter “sediment”) until ready to use. After 10 days, strain jar #1. Allow the mixture to sit for 3 days.
- After 3 days, strain your jars again add 1/4 cup simple syrup to the grapefruit-flavored jar. Combine a few ounces of the grapefruit liquid and a few ounces of the bittering liquid until it reaches a bitterness you are content with. Once you find it, use a mini funnel and add the bitters to a jar with a dropper. Let them sit for another week before use, straining once again if needed before use. I found that the final strain got them super clear.
strawberry ginger one-jar bitters
- Combine all ingredients together in one jar and let them sit for 10 days. Store the jar in cool, dark place and shake it once per day.
- After 10 days, strain the jar to remove the ingredients and sediment from the bottom. Let the mixture sit for another 3 days and strain again. Add the mixture to dropper jars, straining one more time in another day or two to remove any bits from the bottom.
Notes
-a bunch of mason jars or containers, an assortment of bittering herbs and aromatics, high-proof alcohol, such as 101 proof bourbon, 151 proof rum or vodka, flavor agents, like fruits, citrus peels and vanilla beans, bottles with droppers or small jars to store the liquid in, fine mesh sieves, coffee filters and/or cheesecloth for straining- [I pulled tons of information, hours of research, adaptions and help from these places: spirits+cocktails, serious eats, not without salt, food & wine and from scratch club]
Did you make this recipe?
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I appreciate you so much!
Phew! I’m outta here. I appreciate you for listening to my rambles.
126 Comments on “How To Make Cocktail Bitters.”
Woooh!!! So cool! This would make for a fun weekend project with the girls!! I am bookmarking this and talking with the girls today about it!! Great idea Jessica!! I love it!!
Yeah that scene melts me every time! This is totally happening over the weekend!!!
Oh my gosh, this is fascinating! I am definitely a newbie when it comes to bitters (as in I didn’t know what they were at all until reading this post, other than something that you’d add to a drink) but thank you for this little lesson this morning! ) PS you weren’t kidding when you said you were doing everything possible to use up your vanilla beans!
Omg this is awesome. I love bitters and have never had anything close to some of these amazing combos you came up with (and in the liquor store what they do have, it’s horribly over-priced I find!). And the workload of this post…all the recipes, typing, thanks for sharing it all.
And your images are tack sharp, spot on perfection! Pinned!
So, in my family, we pick names at Christmas – but even with two sisters, I managed to somehow pull my brother-in-law. Love him, but…I am no good at buying man stuff. He would probably appreciate some homemade bitters though.
Best sister-in-law award would go to me. Booyah.
I want to be bitter! Oh wait, I’m bitter without the alcohol. Wait, no I’m not. I’m confused.
Umm what? Can we get married?
I’ve always wondered how to go about making my own bitters. I love all the flavor combinations you’ve got goin on.. So doing this and giving some out as xmas gifts.
Such a cool post–I honestly can say that I’ve never had bitters (I’m a wuss when it comes to cocktails–excluding wine and beer, which don’t count, really), but now I’m totally intrigued. This post was so informative!
Loving the grapefruit one especially!
This post is ridiculously amazing. The photos are fantastic [love the collage with the star of anise!]!!! Also, I think this qualifies you as crafty. I know they’re recipes but they’re pretty craft-like and live in cute glass jars with a dropper. Way to go, lady. ;)
Wow I really want to try these recipes for bitters they look amazing! Where did you find all the ingredients. Did you find them locally somewhere in Pittsburgh or online?
i ordered them online from dandelion botanical (linked above) – i’m honestly not sure if there is somewhere to get them locally, but i bet there is. i just didn’t have the patience to look. i will now though!
that’s aloot of ingredients but i do agree, that scene made me want to have a drink with bitters too!
making bitters is on my long list! love how you broke it down here.
LADY. you know the way to my booze-hound heart!!
I had a vanilla-infused bourbon a few months ago at a random NYC restaurant, and I legit have been thinking abt it ever since! This handy guide means I can now have it at home, yayyy!!
JW – Where did you find the droppers?
amazon!
I been making mine own bitters too. They are the highlight of my kitchen cabinate. Some of those combo you have are awesome. I like to use cranberries with coffee in mine, weird I know but it really works.
Also the photography here is so pretty and moody! Love!
the chocolate bitters almost have a hint of coffee with the cacao nibs! you gotta try adding them.
I’ve experimented with making some bitters and by experimented I mean became the mad scientist; it’s easy to go there isn’t it?
I had not considered chocolate; what was I thinking? GREAT post!
Ever since seeing on IG that you were doing this, I have been waiting anxiously! Even my husband asks me ‘did Jessica post about homemade bitters yet?’ We were just about to buy some Peychaud bitters (we don’t do Angostura because Peychaud are Southern), but I held out for these recipes!
THANK YOU THANK YOU! :)
Great job lady! Fantastic post. I love adding bitters to my beverages. I’m particularly intrigued by your strawberry-ginger variation.
This is like the Christmas morning of cocktail making – I’ve been so excited for this Jess!! Screw DIY Hot Cocoa Mix (so last year) I’m making bitters for the friends for Xmas!!
This is so awesome!! Thank you for sharing!!
I love bitters in cocktails but have never thought to make my own! Definitely bookmarking this one :)
This is rad. The cherry vanilla sounds effing delicious. I’m really into old fashioneds and have found that depending on what kind of bitters is added really makes the drink good or blah. My favorite is from a bar in San Francisco and they use peach bitters. Umm..yes. I kinda want to do this during the week between Christmas and New Year’s. Good lil’ family project!
Amazing! I’ve been wanting to do this forever but every time I started doing the research I would get overwhelmed and/or distracted. Thank you for putting it all together!
I LOVE THIS! The hubs and I went to a cocktail class at Oven & Shaker, great restaurant in Portland, OR, and he showed us how to use bitters. Makes such a difference! This looks like so much fun. Thanks for doing all the research for a great post!
Ok, so I’ve been wanting to make my own bitters for for-eva BUT, there is just soooo much to learn, so I gave up. Glad to see you didn’t! I HAVE to try these!
This post is flipping major! I’ve always wanted to venture into making my own bitters, but never had the time. I’m super stoked to try the chocolate bitters.
Hey! This would make an awesome Christmas gift for my father-in-law who is ALL about having a superbly stocked bar with all sorts of options. I’m not huge into bitters personally, so I think I would super fail if I tried to taste test. Do you have general guideline for a basic flavor liquid to bitters liquid ratio? Thanks! :D
there truly is not guideline – if you want, you could start with equal parts (such as 1 ounce and 1 ounce), that’s pretty much what i did. you won’t really know until you’re mixing what you will want!
I know absolutely nothing about cocktail bitters, but now you’ve got me intrigued! I’ll definitely be looking into them!
Question – in the Strawberry Ginger bitters, the ingredient list doesn’t actually call for ginger root. Or, it that a typo and it should not be in the grapefruit bitters? Sorry to ask, but I’m headed to our local herbalist to order the ingredients. GOTTA TRY THESE!!!
oops so sorry! just left it out by accident. fixed! :)
Gurrrl – I was crushing hard on your site before. Now I’m in LO-HUV! What’s the verdict on herb-based bitters? Any idea how rosemary, basil, sage, etc would fare as bitter recipe components? I’m a big herb-nerd…in case that was obvious. xo
i think bitters with herbs like that would be incredible. i steered clear this first time because i’m going to give some as gifts and needed some safer options. but can you imagine rosemary or basil bitters in a grapefruit vodka/gin cocktail? GAH.
GAH is right! Flavor. Town. Way to go Jessica. This is uber impressive.
That scene where Ryan Gosling makes Emma Stone the Old Fashioned is EPIC! I have never seen a sexier old fashioned. It made me want to go out and buy sugar cubes. I love bitters. PS bitters mixed with some club soda cures stomach aches.
Any way to estimate how much you ordered of all the special ingredients?? Would LOVE to do this for Christmas but not sure how much to order to make all the recipes :) Such a great idea, thanks for sharing!
i swear this is the hardest part, haha. i ordered WAY too much stuff! and everything weighs different amounts so it’s very hard to judge. but for an example – i ordered 4 oz of gentian, cassia and tonka (all heavier things) and it was more than enough for all of this (and some other experimental ones i had going on.)
I know!! I don’t want to order too little so I have a feeling I’m going to end up with a ton of this stuff :) Thanks for your quick response!
You’re so fun! I love this, major cool points. Also I really LOVE all your recipes and the longer the title of the recipe, the better ;)
I’ve looked at almost all the sites you linked to because I haven’t been able to find bitters I liked and wanted to make my own. However, it all seemed too much, so I gave up. You have given me hope! I’m so pumped to start making Old Fashions with cherry-vanilla recipe! Awesome!
Holy, you’ve been extra busy!!! I am super unfamiliar with bitters, but I’d better do some taste-test research soon, because this looks like something I would love to make.
What if I made them all one jarred? Do you think it would work? Did you have a lit extra of one or the other? I found an orange bitters recipe and an herb one like angostura. Just ordered some ingredients! Wish I would’ve seen this first!
Wow.Wow.Wow!! You are so incredible, this post is absolutely beautiful – even with the smudgie glass! Thank you for the recipe. My dad is a huge bitters fan, I can’t wait to try these!
This is amazing. I love bitters, but I never thought about making them from scratch. Thanks for the tutorial!
You are amazing! I can’t believe you did all this!
I’ve never had bitters before (I know, I know) and now this makes me want to go try them! I love projects like this, so I’d be totally in for making them!
I’m obsessed with these photos…all shadowy and sophisticated and classy. You are so talented, mama.
Well I love the idea of concocting things and have begun research on bitters, and shrubs and how about pine syrup. I love the research as much as the actual project. Though I’m not a drinker, I can recommend Swedish bitters for a hangover:)
Great post here and I look forward to giving it a hard study. I’m going to check out the new Bar Sajor in Seattle and hope to get some good tasting in.
Great photos!
I LOVE bitters. Always used to have them in my G&T at a great pub at home! Definitely giving these a go for some more flavours though, only ever come across Angostura before. Thanks :-)
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Wow- I’ve read your blog for years and never commented, but this post is fantastic. Incredible. I love the super fun approach to such a serious ingredient OMGSH thank you-
Does anyone know a botanical online company in Canada that would sell some of these ingredients?
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I crazy stupid LOVED that movie, and OH MY Ryan Gosling that man makes me swoon like no other! I think your reason for making bitters is perfectly reasonable because now I want to do the same! And cherry vanilla?! Mmmmm! After finals are done, weekend project here I come!
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This is fantastic. Definitely going to make some stellar christmas presents. Question! Apparently these days it’s rather difficult to find 101 proof bourbon – at least where I’m from – is the alcohol part of the recipe imperatively dark? Or could I perhaps substitute vodka? I know this is a science, but just curious.
Jessica, thank you for this post!! I had no idea what bitters were! Last week, I posted a recipe for a Maple Cider Twist on the Rocks and got a ton of questions about bitters. I didn’t know where to begin to answer them. Then, I saw your post and shared it with my followers!! Thanks again. I don’t know if I can conquer them on my own with my kiddos in tow, but I can certainly appreciate them more in my cocktails when I’m out to dinner, sans kids :)