Make Your Own Strawberry Bitters

I suddenly decided a couple of weeks ago for no real reason that we needed strawberry cocktail bitters. I'm sure such a thing exists commercially, but I haven't seen it, so I decided to make my own. It's really easy to make your own bitters - the most labor intensive part is sourcing the ingredients - but it takes a couple of weeks to get a finished product, so it's not something you want to leave until cocktail time. If you start now you'll be replete with bitters for holiday gatherings!

Strawberry Cocktail Bitters

2 cups sliced strawberries

1 1/2 cups overproof rum (I used Cockspur 130 proof)

1/2 cup chopped ginger

1 1/2 tsp gentian root

3 tsp whole cloves

4 1/2 tsp cardamom pods

4 1/2 whole star anise

5 sticks cinnamon

1 cup high quality strawberry liqueur

Combine all ingredients except the strawberry liqueur in an airtight container. Shake daily for two weeks. I removed the strawberries after one week.

Two weeks later: strain mixture and boil solids with one cup of water for 30 minutes. Be sure to keep the fluid, since you’ll be adding to it.

You might need to add a little water occasionally to keep the fluid level up while boiling. Cool, strain and add new fluid to existing fluid.

Add one cup of high quality strawberry liqueur, shake and you’ve got strawberry bitters! It may not look like much, but you only use a few drops at a time, so a little goes a long way. Cheers!

Why Do We Use So Many Cocktail Bitters?

You've probably noticed that we use bitters in many of our cocktails and may wonder what the heck they are and why we'd bother with such a small amount of an ingredient. After all, when we use bitters, it's typically a few dashes at the most. However, they can add a fun note to a cocktail, alter the flavor slightly and help to balance a drink that's too sweet or too tart. And it's fun to play around with them!

Cocktail bitters aren't the same thing as digestive bitters, which are typically sipped straight up. Campari and Aperol are well-known examples of digestive bitters and, while they make great cocktail ingredients (Negroni, anyone?), are wonderful when enjoyed on their own before or after a meal. You don't want to sip cocktail bitters straight up! That would be a deeply unenjoyable experience!

Originally used as medical tinctures, to oversimplify, cocktail bitters basically consist of roots, barks and herbs infused in an alcoholic base. There are many companies out there now playing with fun flavors, like chocolate and hot pepper, and it's easy to make your own if you don't mind waiting a couple of weeks to use them. You can find lots of recipes by searching on "bitters recipes." Soon you'll start creating your own recipes. I made pineapple and Hess House bitters once and they were fabulous and Paul has made Abbott's bitters. If you don't want to go to the trouble, most supermarkets carry Angostura bitters and many well-stocked liquor stores carry brands like Fee Brothers and Bitter Truth. Gourmet food stores are another good place to check. Pick up a few bottles that sound fun and start experimenting!

 

Do you need a cookie?

I'm not going to lie - it's been a rough day here at the Kitsch-en. Nothing truly horrible - no one is sick or anything - but it's been a day filled with frustrating tech issues, a distinct lack of replies to mail and rejection. The good news is that it's time for happy hour! And a day like this demands lovely comforting libations, garnished with a cookie!

The Bucolic Banana

2 oz banana milk

1 oz dark Jamaican rum (I used Coruba)

5 dashes of the Bitter Truth's Xocolatl Mole bitters

Shake with ice and serve on the rocks. Garnish with a cookie on a stick*.

*Be sure to create a pilot hole in your cookie before putting it on the stick, so that it doesn't fall apart.

Help Us Name These Drinks!

On today's Periscope live broadcast I made two drinks that don't yet have names. We're wide open to ideas, so please ring in with yours! Here are the recipes:

Working Title: Bianco Thing

2 oz. Bianco vermouth

1/2 oz. dry curaçao

3/4 oz peach nectar

2 dashes celery bitters

Shake all ingredients with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

Working Title: Purple Drink (sung to the tune of "Purple Rain")

1 oz. creme de Violette

1/4 oz fresh lime juice

3 dashes plum bitters

Club soda

Add all ingredients to a highball glass with ice and stir.

Look for us on Periscope! @VelveteenLounge

Purple Drink. Needs a better name!

Whiskey Cocktails From Yesterday's Periscope Broadcast

We got a request for whiskey cocktails on our Facebook page from the fabulous Ginger Wilkins, so those became the theme for yesterday's Periscope live broadcast. First up was our version of the classic Rock-N-Rye, at Ginger's request, then we created one in her honor, the Ginger 75! Here are the recipes!

Ginger 75

1 oz bourbon (I used Old Forester)

1/2 oz ginger liqueur (I used Domaine de Canton)

1/2 oz fresh lime juice

2 dashes of Angostura orange bitters

Chilled prosecco

Combine all ingredients in a champagne flute and stir gently.

The Ginger 75

Rock-N-Rye

2 oz rye (I used James E. Pepper 1776 Straight Rye Whiskey)

1/2 oz rock candy syrup

2 dashes of Angostura bitters

Combine all ingredients in a rocks glass with ice, stir and garnish with an orange peel.

We also did a variation on the classic Manhattan, at the request of our friend Doug. Here's what we came up with:

2 oz bourbon (I used the Old Forester again)

1/2 oz Aperitivo Cappelletti 

2 dashes of Angostura bitters

Shake with ice, strain into a cocktail glass and garnish with a cherry.

Here in New York we're stuck with a dismal, gray Monday and I'm working with a horrible internet connection, which has been an issue for days and makes uploading video for the show a real challenge. But the good news is that it's practically happy hour and these recipes are just what the doctor ordered! 

Have a fabulous week!