Sips & Synopsis

• This Weeks Makings

• Trivia Question

• Drink of the Week - The Old Fashioned

• Why Bitters Matter

• Bonus Cocktails

• Mocktail Moment - Citrus Tonic with Bitters

This Weeks Makings.

Some ingredients shout. Others whisper.

Bitters live in the quiet space of a cocktail. They rarely take center stage, yet without them many drinks fall flat. This week we are diving into bitters. Where they came from, why they matter, and how a few intentional drops can completely transform a drink.

In this week’s newsletter:

• What bitters actually are and how they are made

• Why bitters are essential to balance and aroma

• A classic cocktail that showcases bitters at their best

• Zero proof and bonus cocktail ideas

• Simple bar cart tips to start using bitters with confidence

Trivia Question❓

Why do most classic cocktail recipes call for bitters by the dash instead of a measurement?

Answer at the bottom of the newsletter

The Old Fashioned

This cocktail exists because of bitters. Take them away and the drink loses its soul.

Ingredients

• 2 oz bourbon or rye

• ¼ oz rich simple syrup (or a sugar cube)

• 2 to 3 dashes aromatic bitters

• Orange peel

Method

1. Add syrup (or sugar cube) and bitters to a mixing glass.

2. Add whiskey and ice.

3. Stir until chilled and lightly diluted.

4. Strain over a large ice cube.

5. Express the orange peel over the glass and garnish.

Flavor Notes
Warm, balanced, and layered. The bitters bring spice and structure while the citrus oils lift the entire drink.

Why Bitters Matter

Before bitters were bar staples, they were medicine.

In the early 1800s, bitters were sold as medicinal tinctures. Apothecaries infused roots, bark, herbs, spices, and citrus peels into high proof alcohol and marketed them as digestive aids and cure alls. Bartenders eventually noticed something important. These concentrated botanical blends did not just help digestion. They made drinks taste better.

Bitters act like seasoning in food. You do not want a spoonful of salt, but without salt the dish feels unfinished. Bitters do the same work in cocktails. They tame sweetness, soften alcohol heat, and add aromatic complexity that your nose picks up before your palate ever does.

That is why most recipes call for dashes instead of ounces. Bitters are not meant to be tasted on their own. They are meant to complete the drink.

If you have ever made a cocktail that felt close but not quite right, bitters were probably the missing piece.

Helpful bar tools and bitters to explore

• Aromatic bitters starter set

• Orange bitters for versatility

• Book - Botany at the Bar: The Art and Science of Making Bitters

Bonus Cocktails

Once you start using bitters intentionally, you will see them everywhere. These classic cocktails rely on bitters not as garnish, but as structure.

Manhattan

A bold, spirit forward classic where bitters bring balance and depth.

Ingredients

• 2 oz rye whiskey

• 1 oz sweet vermouth

• 2 dashes aromatic bitters

• Brandied cherry or lemon twist

Directions

Add whiskey, vermouth, and bitters to a mixing glass filled with ice. Stir until well chilled and properly diluted. Strain into a chilled coupe or Nick and Nora glass. Garnish with a cherry or express a lemon twist over the glass.

Champagne Cocktail

Elegant, celebratory, and surprisingly simple. Bitters are what keep this drink from tasting flat or overly sweet.

Ingredients

• 1 sugar cube

• 2 to 3 dashes aromatic bitters

• 4 to 5 oz Champagne or dry sparkling wine

• Lemon twist

Directions

Place the sugar cube in the bottom of a flute. Saturate it with bitters. Slowly top with Champagne. Express a lemon twist over the glass and drop it in.

Trinidad Sour

A bitters forward cocktail that surprises people the first time they taste it.

Ingredients

• 1 ½ oz aromatic bitters

• ¾ oz orgeat

• ¾ oz fresh lemon juice

• ½ oz rye whiskey

Directions

Add all ingredients to a shaker with ice. Shake vigorously until well chilled. Strain into a chilled coupe glass. Garnish with expressed lemon peel if desired.

Why it works
This cocktail flips the script by using bitters as the primary ingredient, proving just how complex and balanced they can be when used thoughtfully.

Mocktail or Zero Proof Option

Citrus Tonic with Bitters

Bitters add depth to non alcoholic drinks without adding sweetness.

Ingredients

• 4 oz premium tonic water

• 2 oz fresh orange or grapefruit juice

• 2 dashes citrus or aromatic bitters

• Citrus wheel

Build over ice and stir gently.