Down the Hatch: Bitter truth

Balancing cocktails one dash at a time

I’ve heard that if you want to understand best what bitters do for a drink, have a taste test: make two Manhattans—one with bitters and one without. 

In the one with bitters, you’ll notice that the sweetness of the cocktail is less intense and the drink is more balanced, plus hints of a whole host of flavors are harder to pin down. That’s because bitters are essentially flavor extracts made with many ingredients—everything from spices to fruit peels, herbs to roots, berries to teas. 

“They are,” as cocktail writer and bar owner Mark Bitterman said, “to cocktails as salt is to food.” Beyond enhancing cocktails, bitters mixed with club soda is one of the most effective tonics to cure a hangover or upset stomach.  

The Fikes-Parkhill party supply store next to Parkhill Liquor & Wine at 51st St. and S. Lewis Ave. has an excellent selection of bitters. They carry go-tos like Angostura and Peychaud’s, and more daring versions like Aztec chocolate or hibiscus bitters. My favorite flavor, though, is good old-fashioned orange. Pick up a bottle of Regan’s, Fee Brothers, or Angostura—or make your own. (I did! It takes about three weeks but they make excellent Christmas gifts.)

My favorite use for them? Besides a Manhattan—in a gin and tonic. With a Manhattan you have to remember the ingredients (ok, it’s not so hard), but a gin and tonic spells it right out for you. Remember this ratio, though: two ounces gin to three and a half or four (at most) ounces tonic. 

Orange bitters are also great in martinis and champagne cocktails. Here are three recipes to get you started:

Martini

• 1.5 ounces gin, .5 ounce dry vermouth, 1 dash orange bitters

• Garnish: lemon twist

• Combine the gin, vermouth, and bitters in a mixing glass filled with ice. Stir until chilled and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with the lemon twist. 

Orange bitters became part of the martini around 1906 (as did dry vermouth) and remained so until the 30s. 

Manhattan

• 2 ounces rye or bourbon, 1 ounce sweet vermouth, 1 dash Angostura bitters, 1 dash orange bitters (or two of either)
• Garnish: Luxardo maraschino cherry or lemon twist
• Combine rye or bourbon, vermouth, and bitters in a mixing glass filled with ice. Stir until chilled and strain into a chilled coupe or cocktail glass. Garnish with the cherry or lemon twist. 

Substitute blended Scotch for rye/bourbon and garnish with a lemon twist for a Rob Roy cocktail. 

Champagne Cocktail

• 1 sugar cube, 6 to 8 dashes orange bitters, chilled champagne
• Garnish: orange peel
• Place sugar cube on bottom of a Champagne flute or coupe glass. Douse the sugar cube with the bitters and fill the glass with Champagne. Garnish with the orange peel. 

Make sure to soak the sugar in bitters. Once the Champagne is added, a fizzy stream of bitters pushes up through the glass.

Go further down the hatch with wine and conversation at Vintage 1740.