Dan Souza, America's Test Kitchen
INFUSIONS
These infusions yield enough for multiple batches of Old-Fashioned and Citrus bitters. The extra infusions can also be used to adjust these recipes to taste, or create personal blends.
Combine each of the following separately with 1 cup 101-proof bourbon in covered glass jar:
¼ cup dried mugwort, mostly leaves with some stems (about 8 grams)
¼ cup gentian root (about 28 grams)
¼ cup quassia bark (about 20 grams)
Combine each separately with 1 cup 100-proof vodka in covered glass jar:
¼ cup dried lemon peel (about 22 grams)
¼ cup dried bitter orange peel (about 26 grams)
¼ cup mint tea (about 16 grams)
Combine each separately with ½ cup 100-proof vodka in covered glass jar:
2 tablespoons dried dandelion root (about 15 grams)
2 tablespoons crushed star anise, toasted (about 10 grams)
2 tablespoons black cardamom seeds, toasted (about 17 grams)
2 tablespoons crushed coriander seeds, toasted (about 10 grams)
2 tablespoons ground ginger (about 16 grams)
Combine with ½ cup 151-proof rum in covered glass jar:
2 tablespoons crushed allspice berries, toasted (about 11 grams)
Strain infusions through coffee filter into clean glass jar following schedule:
After 24 hours:
gentian root, mint, ginger, star anise
After 48 hours:
mugwort, quassia bark, dandelion root, cardamom, allspice
After 5 days:
bitter orange, lemon, and coriander
SIMPLE SYRUP (makes about 8 ounces)
½ cup boiling water
½ cup sugar
Stir together until sugar is fully dissolved. Cool, cover, and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.
OLD-FASHIONED BITTERS (Makes about 6 ounces)
These all-purpose bitters work well in a range of classic and contemporary cocktails based on darker spirits.
3 tablespoons simple syrup
4½ teaspoons mugwort infusion
4½ teaspoons gentian root infusion
4½ teaspoons mint infusion
2¼ teaspoons quassia bark infusion
2¼ teaspoons dandelion root infusion
2¼ teaspoons cardamom infusion
2¼ teaspoons bitter orange infusion
1⅛ teaspoons star anise infusion
1⅛ teaspoons allspice infusion
Combine in dropper bottle.
CITRUS BITTERS (Makes about 5 ounces)
These bitters complement cocktails based on clear spirits that feature citrus juice or zest.
¼ cup lemon infusion
2 tablespoons bitter orange infusion
2 tablespoons simple syrup
2 teaspoons quassia bark infusion
2 teaspoons ginger infusion
2 teaspoons coriander infusion
Combine in dropper bottle.
Mugwort sounds like a character from a Harry Potter novel, but it’s actually an herb related to wormwood. Both it’s leaves and roots have been prized for their bitterness (the root being far more bitter than the leaves) since ancient Roman times. Before hops became de rigueur, brewers in Europe and North America would add mugwort leaves and flowers to beer to impart a pleasant, woodsy bitterness. The root, on the other hand, has likely been improving vermouths for centuries. For the most balanced flavor, look for a batch that is at least 60% leaves and flower buds, and the remaining 40% stems.
http://ruhlman.com/2013/10/friday-cocktail-the-old-fashionedwhomemade-bitters
I love bitters for the complexity they bring to any drink, or situation in life for that matter, and I use them with a heavy hand in cocktails. One of my favorite cocktails is the Old-Fashioned (see below), so simple, so satisfying: whiskey, sugar, bitters.
But what exactly are bitters? You don’t really know until you make some yourself.
Bitters are simply flavor extractions. Happily, our neighbor Tobin Ludwig is one of the founders of Hella Bitters, which makes a variety of splendid bitters (about 1500 bottles a month), and he gave me a quick lesson in their making.
“I totally encourage people to make their own bitters at home,” Tobin told me this summer. “It’s a fun experiment.”
There is a single key to bitters: the bittering agent itself, most commonly angelica root or gentian root. The rest is primarily flavoring. To extract the bitterness, you need alcohol. The flavorings can be any you wish, the alcohol any you wish. But Tobin started me out simply. Use a high-proof vodka, 110 proof, cut with water by 50%. Combine the above ingredients (angelica root he gave to me, pictured above, in a cool little sack; star anise, pepper, clove, allspice; other common spices are cinnamon, orange peel, and cardamom) with the alcohol and water in a mason jar for one month, shaking it every now and then. Strain it through cloth. That’s it. Your own personalized bitters.
You can buy angelica and gentian root from the Dandelion Botanical Company. Or search Google; there many sources. The rest of the flavorings can be found in grocery stores. Use the freshest you can find—that is, if you don’t remember how long ago you bought the allspice sitting in your spice rack, best to get some fresh.
If you want some great bitters recipes from an expert (and numerous great cocktails), get Brad Parsons’s book Bitters. It’s a truly lovely volume.
But if the work day is done, have an Old-Fashioned tonight with whatever is on hand, one of the best cocktails there is, thanks to the magical essence called bitters.
The Old-Fashioned
4 to 6 grams sugar (about a teaspoon)
4 to 6 grams bitters (about a teaspoon)
60 grams bourbon or rye (2 ounces)
Lemon
Place the sugar and bitters in a rocks glass and muddle and stir to get the sugar dissolving.
Add the bourbon or rye and stir.
Add ice and a squeeze of lemon (or a twist or orange zest).