DIY Bitters: Part II

A few weeks ago I posted about the first step to making bitters at home, which involved making extracts. Now I am going to detail the second step, which entails combining all of the extracts you’ve made into different-flavored bitters. After using up all my extracts, I actually ended up filling only 11 of the 12 dropper bottles I’d purchased, and I am pretty sure this was due to the fact that the dried fruits I’d used for the fruit extracts took up a good amount of volume in the 4 oz mason jars, so they weren’t actually filled with 4 ounces of liquid extract once the fruit pieces were removed. In fact it was more like 2 ounces of apple extract and 2 ounces of date extract. But after doing some calculating from various websites, you can find a better deal buying in bulk with a dozen dropper bottles than buying 11 individually, so if you did buy a dozen then congratulations! You now have an extra dropper bottle to do whatever you would like with, the possibilities are endless!!

Vanilla extract holder? No problem! Need to add something very concentrated to something else and the unit of measurement should be even smaller than a 1/4 teaspoon? Problem solved!!!

I also suggested the option of skipping the first step and just going out and buying a bunch of extracts. If you’re doing this, make sure you cover the bases of the three flavor components of bitters: a bitter root or bark, a dried fruit or vegetable, and an herb or spice. The best place to find pre-made extracts for more uncommon flavors is Mountain Rose Herbs’ tincures index, they also have extract for the bitter root Gentian which I used as one of my bitter flavor sources.

I used some extracts I had sitting around in the cupboard as well as the ones I made from scratch, but will mark the extracts I added in for kicks in italics. Now to the fun part, where I combined all the flavors! I would have to say that my favorite of the bitters I made was the Bloody Mary Bitters. It added just the right zing to my favorite cocktail. The Aegean Bitters went really well with Dark Rum & Orange juice, too!

And please, don’t feel constrained by the flavors listed here. The most fun part is experimenting with flavors you like, which is of course different for everyone. Feel free to switch out extracts or come up with your very own mix of flavors. If you do I would love to hear about it! I need some inspiration for my next batch, any suggestions or ideas are more than welcome!

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DIY Bitters: Part II

Author Eva Kosmas Flores

Ingredients

Bloody Mary Bitters

• 2 Tablespoons Quassia Extract
• 3 Tablespoons Fenugreek Extract
• 2 Tablespoons Chile Extract
• 3 Tablespoons Celery Extract
• 1 Tablespoon Lime Extract

Celery & Spice Bitters

• 2 Tablespoons Gentian Extract
• 2 Tablespoons Fenugreek Extract
• 2 Tablespoons Chile Extract
• 1 Tablespoon Celery Extract
• 1 Tablespoon Lemon Extract
• 1 Tablespoon Nutmeg Extract

Apple Pie Bitters

• 3 Tablespoons Apple Extract
• 2 Tablespoons Quassia Extract
• 2 Tablespoons Cinnamon Extract
• 1 Tablespoon Nutmeg Extract
• 1 Teaspoon Date Extract
• 1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Mumbai Bitters

• 3 Tablespoons Cardamom Extract
• 2 Tablespoons Gentian Extract
• 2 Tablespoons Lime Extract
• 2 Tablespoons Date Extract
• 1 Tablespoon Nutmeg Extract
• 1 Teaspoon Lemon Extract

Key Lime Pie Bitters

• 3 Tablespoons Lime Extract
• 2 Tablespoons Gentian Extract
• 2 Tablespoons Cardamom Extract
• 1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract
• 1 and 1/2 Teaspoons Lemon Extract

Tangy Bitters

• 3 Tablespoons Fenugreek Extract
• 2 Tablespoons Orris Extract
• 2 Tablespoons Chile Extract
• 1 Tablespoon Nutmeg Extract
• 1 Tablespoon Cardamom Extract
• 1 Teaspoon Lemon Extract

Hot Chocolate Bitters

• 2 Tablespoons Chocolate Extract
• 2 Tablespoons Chile Extract
• 2 Tablespoons Orris Extract
• 1 Tablespoon Date Extract
• 1 Tablespoons Cinnamon Extract
• 1 Teaspoon Nutmeg Extract

Aegean Bitters

• 2 Tablespoons Orris Extract
• 2 Tablespoons Lime Extract
• 2 Tablespoons Cardamom Extract
• 1 Tablespoon Orange Extract
• 1 Tablespoon Lemon Extract
• 1 Tablespoon Almond Extract

Coffee Bitters

• 2 Tablespoons Quassia Extract
• 2 Tablespoons Cinnamon Extract
• 2 Tablespoons Nutmeg Extract
• 1 Tablespoon Plus 1 Teaspoon Coffee Extract
• 1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract
• 1/2 Teaspoon Chocolate Extract

Bottom o' the Barrel Bitters

• Yep, this is what I made with the random extracts I had left. It actually came out quite tasty!
• 3 Tablespoons Cinnamon Extract
• 2 Tablespoons Quassia Extract
• 1 Tablespoon Fenugreek Extract
• 1 Tablespoon Lime Extract
• 1 Tablespoon Almond Extract
• 1.5 Teaspoons Orris Extract
• 1 Teaspoon Chile Extract