Not signed in (Sign In)

Vanilla 1.1.4 is a product of Lussumo. More Information: Documentation, Community Support.

Bitters: Bittermens Bitters

Bottom of Page

1 to 20 of 20

  1.  
  1.  
    The kind folks at Bittermen's have been nice enough to send us some prerelease samples of their product. Grapefruit, Tiki and Xocotal Chocolate Mole to be exact. I've left the samples at TearDrop for OBG members (sorry, no enthusiasts, no exceptions, this one is members only) to stop by and taste. Personally, I'm blown away by the bouquet on these and the depth of flavor that they have achieved. These samples are small, so sooner is better if you'd like to taste them before they run out. Also, I'll be picking them up from TearDrop in the near future to ensure Jeff and Kevin have a chance to taste these. I'm going to see if the owner is interested in having a discussion with us on bitters techniques in our forums. What does everyone think?
    •  
      CommentAuthorTraderTiki
    • CommentTimeMay 7th 2008
     

    I've had a few chances to try them, very good stuff, an an interesting choice of flavors.

    Funny about their tiki bitters. I learned about their product after already sitting some of my falernum-based bitters aside to age... oh well, I suppose my next step is to beat them to a barrel-aged Falernum bitters.

    • CommentAuthordshenaut
    • CommentTimeMay 7th 2008
     

    Mole does really well with woody scotch, rye and mezcal. and helps other bitter liquors and vermouth grow on the palate

    Grapefruit I used in a sort of cross between a "jasmine" and a "dolly o dare" using 12 bridges as a base for a recreation of Sauvblanc.

    Tiki I put in a "suffering bastard"

    They are a great product (period). Best aromatic bitters I have ever seen. Thanks for sharing Lance.

    •  
      CommentAuthorCraig
    • CommentTimeMay 7th 2008
     

    This was my idear for the xocolatl mole bitters:

    2 oz mezcal
    1 oz Green Chartreuse
    healthy dashes Xocolatl Bitters
    expressed oil/flamed orange peel

    Sadly, I have no mezcal to experiment for the proper ratio:chartreuse...

    • CommentAuthordshenaut
    • CommentTimeMay 13th 2008
     

    That sounds great. That is gonna be costly tho. I'll try it at work tonight if I get the right custe'.

  6.  

    Who has tried this so far? Thoughts?

  7.  
    Everyone - thanks for the kind words about the bitters! I wish that we had the government approval and could ship to everyone in the guild, but until we get the thumbs up, our hands are pretty much tied. We were hoping to be ready by Tales of the Cocktail, but the promised three week government review period is now heading into month number six.

    TraderTiki - Don't worry... as of now, everything we're doing is designed to be able to be produced within 10 days - so there'll be no barrel aging for the foreseeable future! Barrel aged falernum just in general sounds neat... the vanilla notes leeched from the oak could end up with a really interesting play against the spice. I just wonder how lime oil and vanillin/tannin will play together.

    And stay tuned... in honor of our escape to Boston, we're putting the finishing touches on a summer formula - the Boston "Bittahs" which is sort of a mega-citrus goes to Thailand sort of concoction.

  8.  

    Avery:

    What is the base spirit used in the production of your bitters, or does it vary accordingly? Also, are you contracting out with a distillery, making your own base, or simply using retail spirits?

  9.  
    We always use retail purchased neutral grain spirit, though the infusion and final strength changes based on the herb/spice mix. We do everything ourselves, at home, until we get the TTB approval. Once we have approval, we'll be producing at a shared commercial kitchen.
  10.  
    Alright Avery, Now I'm curious. I've never seen bitters with as much of a bouquet as you've achieved with yours. Would you be willing to provide any insight into how you achieve that bouquet on your bitters?
  11.  
    BTW, I'm taking these down to Jeff in Eugene on Friday.
  12.  
    Lance - Hard work and clean living :)

    Seriously, I think that some of it has to do our infusion technique - but alot of it just has to do with sourcing high quality ingredients.

  13.  
    These samples are now in Eugene for Jeff to play with. All of you in Eugene ought to hit Jeff up for some cocktails featuring these before I make him bring them back up.
    •  
      CommentAuthorjeffmorgen
    • CommentTimeJun 2nd 2008
     
    Crap. Now I've got to get to work.

    I've got some ideas rolling around in my head about the Mole Bitters and añejo tequila. If any of you have every tried Charlotte Voisey's fabulous cocktail, The Chinchona, you'll know where I'm headed.

  15.  
    And it's just the right direction...
  16.  

    So Jeff, how are things turning out now that you've had some time to play with them? I was wishing that I had the tiki bitters the other night (even though the drink I was making was decidedly non-tiki).

    •  
      CommentAuthorjeffmorgen
    • CommentTimeJun 11th 2008
     

    Here's what I've come up with so far:

    The Grapes of Wrath

    1½ oz añejo tequila
    ½ oz Montepulciano grape must syrup
    ½ oz apricot brandy
    2 dashes Bittermen's Xocotal Chocolate Mole bitters
    orange peel

    Build ingredients in old-fashioned glass. Twist orange to express oils, finish with crushed ice.

    I guess I'll have to give back your samples when I see you on Saturday, Lance. It's a shame, though, I do wish I had some samples of my own to play with. Sigh...

    • CommentAuthorOuroboros
    • CommentTimeAug 26th 2009
     

    (document some of what [most of] we know)

    The Bitter Truth has taken up distribution of Bittermen's Bitters, and Cocktail Kingdom is handling distribution in the USA. approx $16/bottle, plus S&H.

    Does anyone want to step forward and put together a case order?

    • CommentAuthordshenaut
    • CommentTimeAug 28th 2009
     
    Count me in for the Mole, Celery and lemon
  20.  
    Sorry to have been so quiet on the board - but here's the deal. We've partnered with The Bitter Truth in Germany on our Xocolatl Mole Bitters and Grapefruit Bitters. They're manufacturing them and selling them under a co-branded The Bitter Truth/Bittermens label. Cocktail Kingdom and The Boston Shaker (as well as a few other retailers) have decided to purchase cases from Germany and ship them in to make it easier for people to purchase one or two bottles in the states. Just to be precise - neither Cocktail Kingdom or The Boston Shaker are official importers or distributors. We'll have some more news soon about distribution in the coming months. We promise :)

1 to 20 of 20

  1.