Bitters: The Ultimate Secret Cocktail Ingredient
Originally marketed as a medicinal tonic, bitters are a concentration of select natural herbs, fruits and spices now used primarily as a flavouring agent for cocktail and culinary creations ranging from savoury to sweet. By the dash or the drop, each creation offers an intricate range of complex flavours that perfectly accentuates food, spirits and even sparkling water.
In the same way you would salt & pepper your dish to attain your ideal balance of flavours, bitters are the secret ingredient that helps your cocktail achieve that same type of balance. Test it out for yourself next time you're making an Old Fashioned or Gin & Tonic for you and a friend. Add two bold dashes to one and none to the other and taste - it's amazing the difference a few millilitres of bitters will make!
Depending on the bottle style, you may be dashing or dropping. Play with the amounts and taste as you go to find the right combo for your own palate. Don't be afraid to experiment with combinations of both bitters and spirits. Here at DEVINE, we were happily surprised to find the Malagasy Chocolate bitters by Bittered Sling paired beautifully with our Dutch-style Genever. Looking for more DEVINE + bitter combos? See below!
Genever
- - Malagasy Chocolate - Check out this combo in the Fernwood Gimlet
- - Cascade Celery - Try Dutch Style Gin + celery bitters in your Caesar
- - Rhubarb can take your classic G&T on a refreshing ride
Ancient Grains
- - Suius Cherry - For a Manhattan made in Heaven
- - Clingstone Peach - Try in a Whisky Sour
- - Arabica Coffee (🥃 + ☕️ = 🫶)
Honey Shine Silver
- - Rosehip Bitters - Add a floral essence to our Honey 'rum'
- - Lem Marrakech - Level up your tropical cocktails with lemon-mint & spice
- - Try a Rhubarb spin in your next daiquiri
With so many combinations and opportunities to mix + match, the opportunities to level up your cocktail (or your mocktail) game are limitless.