Bitters Bottles Product Launch

We are thrilled to announce the launch of our newest product, our very own A Bar Above bitters bottles! Why bitters bottles, you ask?

Well, have you ever noticed how messy a line of bitters looks on a back bar or bar cart, with some over-sized labels sticking out haphazardly? (We’re looking at you, Angostura.) We certainly have!

 

This A Bar Above glass dasher bottle set give a gorgeous, unified look to your professional or home bar, adding a sophistication that a hodgepodge of different bottles with varying labels certainly lacks.

Our decorative bottles are gorgeous, but even more importantly, the stainless steel dasher tops are custom-designed to give a universal “dash” that matches an Angostura bitters bottle.

This solves a major issue for bartenders and cocktail connoisseurs: When a recipe calls for two dashes but all your different types of bitters bottles provide totally different amounts… What even is a dash anymore?

 

We’ve solved that problem by giving you a uniformed dash every time. You’re welcome!

Not only that, but there is way less… splashage. Is that a word? Well, I just made it one. You know how, when you turn an Angostura bottle sideways, bitters goes flying everywhere from the dasher top, staining your countertop that signature orange-red color?

With our bitters bottles, you’ll get a lot less of that mess, meaning less waste and fewer orange stains on your counter when you use our glass dash bottle.

So not only will your bar look neat and beautiful, but the dose of bitters in your craft cocktails will be consistent and clean. Every time.

 

WHY OUR COCKTAIL BITTERS BOTTLES ARE THE BEST

Chris and our development team have poured (no pun intended, I swear) over these awesome bar tools for over a year, trying to make them the best bar bottle worthy of your adoration. We love them, and we think you will, too! Here is what makes our classic dash bottles so special:

• Our sturdy cork dasher tops are made of synthetic material vs. a natural cork base. They won’t rot or infect the contents of your bottle!
• Chris and our team worked really hard to make the cork seal perfectly to the glass. These bottles feature a strong seal that won’t drip, and the synthetic cork is flexible and bends up to the glass of the bottle.
• As I mentioned, our bottles feature the same diameter opening as an Angostura bottle, creating a 1-1 dash replacement. With many other commercial bottles from different brands, you may have to dash 3-5 times just to equal that one dash! But if you don’t know that, your drink might not be perfectly balanced. With our bottles, you’ll get the perfect dash every time, as the recipe intends.
• The large, classic bar bottle is slightly larger than the standard bitters bottle capacity at 3.4 ounces rather than the standard 3 ounces.
• These affordable bitters bottles come in 4 options: 1 single bottle, 3-pack, 1.7 ounce size, and/or 3.4 ounce size.
• Our classic dasher bottles are dishwasher safe! Throw in everything from the glass dasher bottle to the tiny dasher spout.
• The clear glass bottles allow you to see your contents, so you always know what you’re grabbing,
• This set comes with dust covers to keep out sunlight & dust, protecting the integrity of your bitters. Plus, you’ll get a funnel for easy transferring from the commercial bottle.
• Because evaporation can occur, these bottles are designed for high-volume bars where you’ll be using a lot of product. But the dust covers help with that! And these beautiful bottles complement our atomizer set, which elevates your techniques.
• If you can’t tell, we’ve designed these basic dasher bottles to be the best of the best. No, they aren’t the fanciest, but they are custom-designed to protect your ingredients and work properly every time you use them.

 

 

WHAT ARE BITTERS?

Bitters are one of the most common ingredients for cocktails, made from a neutral alcohol base (so yes, they usually do contain alcohol!) and combined with aromatic herbs & botanical ingredients, used to flavor drinks. They offer a bold flavor boost for a complex drink.

This staple ingredient for cocktails usually has a 35-45% alcohol by volume (ABV), but because you only use 1-2 dashes per drink in alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages alike, the additional alcohol content is only trace amounts in the final cocktail.

That said, if you are avoiding alcohol completely, bitters are traditionally not spirit-free. There is one truly non-alcoholic bitters company we love called All the Bitter– check them out if you’re looking for spirit-free alternatives.

 

Because adding a dash of bitters is so common in mixed drinks, you should definitely have a few bitter bottles in your cocktail cabinet, non-alcoholic or not.

The impact of bitters on alcoholic beverages is really important for it being such a small part of any cocktail recipe. It offers a slightly bitter punch with notes of whatever the flavor profile is (if you’re working with a specific type or flavor– see below for more info).

Bitters is often seen in savory cocktails like a Manhattan, although lighter flavors can be used in more delicate drinks like a Martini.

 

THE MOST POPULAR BITTERS FLAVORS

These are most commonly used types of classic bitters:

• Aromatic bitters (typically Angostura aromatic bitters or Peychaud’s): Used in classic cocktails like the Manhattan, Old Fashioned, Sazerac, and Champagne Cocktail
• Orange bitters: Commonly used in a Martini (and Angostura orange is a fun swap for an Old Fashioned!)

 

OTHER COMMON TYPES OF COCKTAIL BITTER FLAVORS

Flavored bitters add a a specific flavor essence to drinks. It helps bright a brightness and complexity to any cocktail, mixed with the slightly bitter taste they’re known for. Here are some our of our favorite flavors that we recommend trying in your mixed drinks:

• Rhubarb bitters (by Fee Brothers– my personal favorite flavor): a unique, bittersweet flavor and excellent addition to something like a Strawberry Gin Smash
• Celery bitters (again, Fee Brothers): Adds subtle notes of earthy flavors — ideal in a Bloody Mary
• Citrus bitters (lime or lemon): Offers a brightness to any drink
• Lavender bitters: Brings lovely floral notes to your cocktail, regular coffee, or hot chocolate
• Chocolate bitters: Gives rich, complex flavors to sweet and savory cocktails alike– the chocolate Old Fashioned with bourbon whiskey is a popular drink variation using this type of bitters.

 

 

HOW TO USE BITTERS

It seems like there’s been a bitters boom as of late, with this ingredient gaining in popularity. But bitters has been widely used in cocktails since the beginning of craft cocktails and is found in a ton of basic cocktail recipes.

Indeed, perhaps the original cocktail was the classic Old Fashioned cocktail, which follows the first recorded definition of “cocktail” from 1806 and then was later made popular in the mid-19th century by bar manager and owner Jerry Thomas: Bourbon or rye whiskey, aromatic bitters, cane sugar cube, orange peel, and a splash of water.

But what else can you use bitters for besides this classic whiskey cocktail and other alcoholic drinks? Just about anything you want! There isn’t a limit on what you can use this ingredient for; add a little kick of strong flavor to other drinks and foods, not just cocktails:

 

• Spice up your regular coffee (or even make your decaffeinated coffee a little more interesting).
• Along those lines, add it to your kombucha or (as I mentioned before) hot chocolate.
• Get creative with your cocktail of choice and add bitters, even if the original recipe doesn’t call for it. Pick a balanced flavor that goes with the existing ingredients.
• Make yourself some aromatic water— I personally love sparkling water with a variety of bitters flavors. Since bitters is said to aid in digestion, you can theoretically use this boozy ingredient to help settle mild stomach pain. But I’m no doctor, so please don’t take my word for it.
• Use it in baking. No, seriously, add a few dashes of Angostura aromatic cocktail bitters to your next batch of chocolate chip cookies for that rich, classic flavor and a layer of complexity.

 

 

HOW TO USE BITTERS BOTTLES EFFECTIVELY

Using your glass bitters bottle is super simple once you know how. During our company meeting about the launch of these awesome glass bottles, I actually learned that I’d been dashing incorrectly this entire time!

To dash effectively and accurately, turn the bottle upside-down, and give one firm up-and-down shake with the dash top pointing straight down over your cocktail. That’s a dash. Watch how Chris does it:

The cool thing about these classic bitters bottles is that they’re clear glass, which means you can see the contents. Each bitters flavor really has its own color, so you can easily tell the difference between Peychaud’s bitters, Fee Brothers rhubarb bitters, orange bitters, and chocolate bitters.

And while the intent here is to transfer this key ingredient out of your existing dasher-style bottles from the store, you could also use these glass bottles to hold your homemade bitters.

 

COCKTAILS WITH BITTERS RECIPES

The Martini, Manhattan, Old Fashioned, and Negroni are all popular cocktails that rely on the distinctive taste of bitters. But a variety of drinks you don’t always see on the cocktail menu at your local watering hole also utilize this ingredient!

So grab your favorite bottle of bitters, check out the recipes below, and get ready to make some delicious drinks.

Here are a few of our favorite, lesser-known cocktail recipes with a modern twist and healthy dose of bitters:

 

Bijou Cocktail

Dating back to the 1890s, this delicious gin cocktail offers rich flavors from the Chartreuse and vermouth, plus a hint of orange flavor from the bitters.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 ounces Gin (Botanical or London Dry Gin)
• 3/4 ounce Sweet Vermouth
• 3/4 ounce Green Chartreuse
• 2 dashes Orange Bitters
• 1 Cocktail Cherry for garnish (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Add all ingredients to a mixing glass with ice cubes, and stir with a bar spoon for 15-20 seconds.
2. Strain with a julep cocktail strainer into a chilled Nick & Nora or coupe glass.
3. Garnish with a cocktail cherry (or maraschino cherry), if desired.

 

Pegu Club 

Another amazing gin cocktail from the 1920s, the Pegu Club has a brightness from fresh lime juice, coupled with orange and two dashes of bitters– one orange and one aromatic– for a really refreshing, crisp taste.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 ounce Japanese Gin
• 3/4 ounce Dry Orange Curacao or Cointreau
• 3/4 ounce Fresh Lime Juice
• 1/4 ounce Simple Syrup
• 1 dash of Angostura Bitters
• 1 dash Orange Bitters 
• Orange or Lime Wedge for garnish (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Add all ingredients to your cocktail shaker with ice, and shake vigorously for 7-10 seconds.
2. Double-strain with your Hawthorne strainer and fine strainer into your chilled coupe cocktail glass.
3. Garnish with an orange slice or lime wedge, if desired.

 

 

Italian Summer: A Rhubarb Bitters Cocktail

The most modern cocktail on our list, this combines the sweet flavor of strawberries with the savory, earthy flavor of rhubarb.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 ounce Japanese Gin
• 1 ounce Aperol
• 1/2 ounce Sweet Vermouth
• 1/2 ounce Strawberry Liqueur
• 3 dashes of Rhubarb Bitters
• Lemon Peel for garnish

DIRECTIONS:

1. Combine all ingredients into a mixing glass with ice.
2. Stir until mixed and chilled properly, about 15-20 seconds.
3. Strain into a chilled glass (Nick and Nora glass).
4. Garnish with expressed lemon zest – discard lemon after expression.

 

 

Ok, cocktail lovers, so what is your favorite cocktail with bitters? How else do you use this essential ingredient? Leave us a comment and let us know what your favorite bitters flavor is and how you like to use it. And of course, don’t forget to run over to our shop today and grab our brand new bitters bottles!