The Bitters Truth
What are bitters?
In short, bitters are taking aromatic and bitter herbs and spices and tincturing them with high proof spirits. Most people know that bitters are now-a-days synonymous with bars and cocktails, but it hasn't always been that way. Long before it was a beloved cocktail element, it was an herbal, medicinal supplement. Bitters originated from doctors for medicinal purposes, but is now considered a staple in crafting cocktails. It took the leap from the counters of the apothecaries to the shelves of bars all around. In 1824, Venezuelan doctor, Johann Siegert started making Angostura as a supplement for the soldiers who were threatened by malaria. It was a stimulant that kept them moving through the symptoms. Angostura is the oldest form of bitters and it is a herbal blend from bark, spices, fruit, seeds, botanicals and roots mixed with high proof alcohol. Angostura's bitter recipe was closely guarded and was only known by 5 people in the world. Angostura's name originated from the Venezuelan city where it was first created. The word "bitters" stems from the first printed definition of a cocktail, in which it said;
"Cocktail - A drink consisting of spirits, water, sugar, and bitters..."
Fast forward to the late 1800's and beyond, bitters were now hand in hand with cocktails at almost every bar in every city. During the Prohibition many would mix bitters with low quality spirits to make the spirits taste better and since bitters are already high proof it makes it stronger and easier to drink. Bitters really took off after Prohibition, but was still a thriving market during as well. Today, bitters are in every craft cocktail bar and in most other bars as well. Bitters is a neutral spirit based flavoring agent that is a blend of different aromatic ingredients, ranging from botanicals to roots to spices and the list goes on.
What's a tincture?
Bitters is a blend of multiple aromatic elements, whereas tinctures only utilize one aromatic element. They both are neutral spirit based, but tinctures can use vinegar and other elements for extracting the flavor in place of alcohol. Alcohol works best though and omitting it can yield a different type of tincture, while taking longer to fully absorb the nutrients. A tincture is generally made with herbs and the point of it is to extract the minerals, essential oils, alkaloids, and other medicinal elements from the plant into a concentrated solvent. Essentially you want a single dose of tincture to be equal to a cup of herbal tea. Regardless of the alcohol chosen, it has to be over 80 proof. Clear, neutral spirits, such as vodka, run, or moonshine whiskey are often used.
How can you make your own tincture?
Check out our recipe for a Florida Wildflower Tincture and recreate it. Change out the herbs or choice and you can recreate almost any tincture.
How can you make your own bitters?
There are two different methods to making bitters. 1) Blending all the ingredients together and adding the alcohol, infusing them together. 2) Blending each individual ingredient separately, essentially creating multiple tinctures.
Once your tinctures are finished, you can blend them easier. I prefer this method personally because different herbs and spices infuse at different rates.