How to use them
bitters
Shake 2 dashes of bitters onto the sugar cube in the tumbler and add a few drops of water. A dash is a short, firm shake from the bottle, about 1 ml or eight to ten drops.
Press the sugar cube flat with a bar spoon until it has dissolved into the bitters. If you’re using syrup instead of a sugar cube, just stir it briefly.
Pour in 6 cl of bourbon or rye, add the large ice cube to the glass and stir for twenty to thirty seconds, until the outside of the glass feels cold.
Express the orange peel over the glass so the oil reaches the surface, then place it inside. This way you can see and smell what two dashes do to a glass of whiskey.
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The story
Bitters began as an apothecary remedy: herbs, roots, and bark were steeped in strong alcohol, and the extract was dosed drop by drop. When the cocktail emerged, that same bottle proved to make drinks better and stayed behind the bar. Most makers keep exactly what is in it to themselves; gentian root, baking spices, and bitter citrus peel appear in many recipes. The alcohol content is high and the dosage is small: you work in dashes of about one milliliter, so a bottle lasts for years. Bitters are therefore not a drink you pour, but a flavoring you measure out.
The right glass
Bitters do not have a glass of their own, because you never pour them neat. The glass follows the cocktail they go into: a heavy tumbler with room for a large ice cube for an Old Fashioned, and a small Nick and Nora for a stirred Manhattan. The RCR Tattoo tumbler description specifically mentions the space for a large ice cube, while the Novecento glass lists the Manhattan by name. You can find more of these small coupe glasses among the Nick & Nora glasses.
RCR Tattoo Tumbler 34 cl (6 pieces)
Bormioli Rocco Novecento Cocktail Glass 15.5 cl Nick & Nora (4 pieces)
Both sets together € 57,90.
The right tools
For a cocktail with bitters, you need a bitters bottle with a dasher top to shake out the same amount each time, as well as a jigger to measure the spirit precisely. These are the bar tools we use ourselves; you can find everything in our bar tools & cocktail sets.
Glass set (our choice 01) + 2 bar tools together € 62,85.
Variations & twists
Every type of bitters does something different. Angostura is spicy, with cinnamon and clove, and belongs in an old fashioned. Orange bitters are made from bitter orange peel and brighten up a dry martini. Peychaud's is lighter and sweeter, with a hint of anise, and is the bitters for a sazerac. Chocolate bitters work surprisingly well in an espresso martini, while celery bitters make a bloody mary or gin and tonic more savory. In a pink gin, the bitters themselves take center stage: gin with a few dashes stirred in, nothing else. Want to read more? View all drinks and brands.
Serving tip
Keep the bottle within reach next to your bar spoon and count your dashes out loud to keep the dosage consistent. Two to four dashes per cocktail is the usual measure; on an egg-white foam, add three drops and draw a pattern through them with a pick. Store the bottle in a dark place at room temperature.
Good to know
What is a dash?
A short, firm shake from the bottle: about one milliliter, or eight to ten drops. Two to four dashes per cocktail is standard. With a bottle fitted with a dash top, it is easier to keep the measure consistent than with a pipette or teaspoon.
Why does a bottle last for years?
Because of the high alcohol content. Cocktail bitters are often between 35 and 45 percent, and at that strength the extract does not spoil. Since you dose it by the dash, a 10 or 20 cl bottle will last through many evenings. Store it in a dark place and upright.
Bitters or bitter liqueur?
Two different things. Cocktail bitters are concentrated and dosed in dashes. A bitter liqueur such as Campari or Aperol is sweetened, considerably lower in alcohol, and used in centiliters as a true ingredient: Aperol is around 11 percent and Campari around 25. In a spritz or a negroni, the bitter liqueur is therefore the drink, not the flavoring.
Angostura's oversized label
Angostura's label extends over the neck and therefore does not fit on the bottle. It happened that way once and was never changed, making the little bottle instantly recognizable on every bar. The label states 44.7 percent alcohol.
Which classics can't do without them?
The Old Fashioned and the Manhattan fall flat without a few dashes of aromatic bitters; then all you are left with is sweet whiskey. The Sazerac calls for Peychaud's, with its anise note. And the Pink Gin exists only thanks to the bitters: gin with a few dashes mixed in and nothing else.
Can you drink bitters neat?
They are not made for that. Neat, they are sharp and very bitter because the extract is concentrated. In a cocktail, you do not taste them as bitterness but as depth: the flavors then complement one another.
Frequently asked questions
What exactly are cocktail bitters?
Concentrated extracts of herbs, roots, bark and spices in high-proof alcohol. You use them by the dash, about one milliliter, as a flavoring in a cocktail. They are not intended to be served neat.
How many dashes of bitters do you use?
Two to four per cocktail. An Old Fashioned typically gets two, while you drizzle three on top of a sour with egg-white foam. A dash is about one milliliter, or eight to ten drops.
What is the difference between bitters and Campari or Aperol?
Bitters are concentrated and used in dashes. Campari and Aperol are bitter liqueurs: sweetened, lower in alcohol and meant to be poured in centiliters. In a Negroni or a Spritz, they are the main ingredient; bitters never are.
Which cocktails are bitters indispensable in?
The Old Fashioned, the Manhattan, the Sazerac and the Pink Gin. In the first three, a few dashes balance sweet and strong; in the Pink Gin, bitters are the only thing added alongside the gin.
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