The Bittering, 2019

Like the swallows returning to Capistrano, R and I were back in the kitchen recently for our annual round of bitters-making. First, we needed more of the pecan bitters to recreate our bespoke Old-Fashioned bitters blend. We used the coffee-pecan recipe from Bitters by Brad Thomas Parsons (aka ‘our bible of bitters’) as the starting point, omitting the coffee and cacao nibs while doubling the amount of toasted pecans. Next, I decided to revisit one of the first recipes we ever made, cherry-hazelnut bitters. We both agreed that this batch was our least successful: the bitterness and intensity were underwhelming, and we struggled to find drinks where the flavors really worked. This time, I skipped the hazelnuts entirely, doubled the amount of cherry bark to increase the bitterness, and included fresh sour cherries for a more fruit-forward profile. For the third batch, R wanted to experiment with another fruit, peach. I thought he was going to make a bitters version of his delicious peach-sriracha jam, but he threw a change-up and opted instead for an Asian-influenced mix of spices. The weeks-long infusion process is complete, and I can report that the desired flavors come shining through: rich nutty pecans, tart sour cherries, sweet peaches tinged with lemongrass. We’ll spend the next few weeks/months testing these bitters in different cocktails and let you know how it turns out.

h.