The Bitter Truth: Q&A with Spirit Author Brad Thomas Parsons

You don’t have to shell out big bucks to get a taste of the bitters boom. All you need is some high-proof spirits and flavorings from nature, including ingredients that you can grow in the garden. Think rhubarb, blueberry, lavender, rose hips, apple ”“ the possibilities are endless. In his award-winning book Bitters, A Spirited History of a Classic Cure-All Brad Thomas Parsons writes about the alchemy of using bitters to create tasty drinks that appeal to a wide range of audiences, from old-school barflies and wannabe bartenders to hobby chemists.

We recently caught up with Thomas Parsons at the Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture in New York’s Hudson Valley, where he was pouring goblets of advice about how to make your own bitters and mixing up concoctions like the vintage Old Fashioned and the modern Sawyer.

Modern Farmer: Why are bitters an important ingredient in cocktails?

Brad Thomas Parsons: While you won’t find bitters employed in each and every cocktail, they’re an essential ingredient in many classic drinks – from the Old-Fashioned to the Champagne Cocktail to the Manhattan to the Sazerac to so many more. The original written definition of the word “cocktail” — spirits of any kind, sugar, water, and bitters — spotlights bitters as a key ingredient. Bitters can bring a flat cocktail to life, unify disparate ingredients and help spotlight specific flavors and aromas.

Bitters can bring a flat cocktail to life, unify disparate ingredients and help spotlight specific flavors and aromas.

MF: Are bitters an acquired taste?

BTP: Non-potable cocktail bitters aren’t intended to be consumed on their own, but instead are added to a drink in dashes or drops. Unless you’re tasting them on their own, or they’re added with a very heavy hand, you won’t likely “taste” them in your drink. You’re more likely to notice when a not-so-balanced cocktail is missing bitters. But potable bitters, like Campari or Fernet Branca and other amaris are definitely bitter and range from bittersweet to bracingly medicinal. These, and bitter cocktails like the Negroni, can be divisive to some.

MF: When sampling bitters, it seems as if the smell is just as important as the taste?

BTP: Definitely. On their own bitters are very aromatic and that quality can be put to use when making cocktails. Think of a drink like the Pisco Sour, where bitters are added to the top strata of the drink – the egg white foam. In this case the bitters are decorative but their spicy aroma is also masking any potential off-putting smell from the egg whites.

Brad Thomas Parsons’ book about bitters.

MF: Is the bitters movement akin to some other gastronomic trend?

BTP: The resurgence of bitters is related to the ongoing historical interest in cocktails and spirits. Discovering older drinks or spending time with long out-of-print bar books leads one to start making their own syrups, shrubs and bitters among other things. But it also crosses over with the culinary DIY movement that has people exploring pickling, fermentation, home-brews, homemade charcuterie and other artisanal culinary pursuits.

MF: If you’re making your own bitters, how do you know when they’re done?

BTP: Making bitters is a weeks-long process of wait and see, but you should be tasting your bitters throughout the process. Just dip a cocktail straw in and try a drop or two for taste and rub between the palms of your hands to warm up and savor the aroma. Ingredients will infuse at different rates so it’s important to keep tasting. You want them to taste bitter but also pick up more detailed notes beyond tasting just the alcohol. Once you dilute with water or add some sugar you can’t go back, so you want to make sure your solution is where you want it to be before you take it to the final steps.

MF: If someone is trying to make bitters for the first time, what’s your recommendation for a good one to begin with?

BTP: I think orange bitters is good flavor to experiment with. It’s very aromatic and lively and can be put to use in many cocktails. And the recipe can serve as a jumping off point to play around with other oranges – like blood oranges or Seville oranges or satsumas – or even other citrus like tangerines or clementines.

[mf_h5 align=”left” transform=”uppercase”]DIY Bitters:[/mf_h5]

[mf_editorial_break layout=”twocol” title=”Orange Bitters” credit=”Next to Angostura, orange bitters are one of the more popular bitters used in cocktails. Thomas Parson recommends this recipe for a classic martini, or dashed in bourbon and rye.” image=”none”]

(Makes about 20 ounces)
Zest of 3 oranges, cut into strips with a paring knife
¼ cup chopped dried orange peel
4 cloves
8 green cardamom pods, cracked
¼ teaspoon coriander seeds
½ teaspoon gentian root
¼ teaspoon allspice berries
2 cups high-proof vodka, or more as needed
1cup water
2 tablespoons rich syrup (see below)

Place all of the ingredients except the vodka, water and rich syrup in a quart-sized mason jar or other large glass container with a lid. Pour in the 2 cups of vodka, adding more if necessary so that all the ingredients are covered. Seal the jar and store at room temperature out of direct sunlight for 2 weeks, shaking the jar once a day.

After 2 weeks, strain the liquid through a cheesecloth-lined funnel into a clean quart-sized jar to remove the solids. Repeat until all of the sediment has been filtered out. Squeeze the cheesecloth over the jar to release any excess liquid and transfer the solids to a small saucepan. Cover the jar and set aside.

Place the solids into a small saucepan.

Cover the solids with about one cup of water, adding more as necessary until the solids are completely covered. Bring the water to a boil over medium-high heat. After the water begins to boil, cover the saucepan, lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

Remove the saucepan from the heat and let cool completely. Once cooled, add the contents of the saucepan (both liquid and solids) to another quart-sized Mason jar. Cover the jar and store at room temperature out of direct sunlight for 1 week, shaking the jar daily.

After 1 week, strain the jar with the liquid and solids through a cheesecloth-lined funnel into a clean quart-sized Mason jar. Repeat until all of the sediment has been filtered out. Discard the solids. Add this liquid to the jar containing the original vodka solution.

Add the rich syrup to the solution and stir to incorporate, then cover and give the jar a shake to fully dissolve.

Allow the mixture to stand at room temperature for 3 days. At the end of the 3 days, skim off any debris that floats to the surface and pour the mixture through a cheesecloth-lined funnel one last time to remove any solids.

Using a funnel, decant the bitters into smaller jars and label. If there’s any sediment left in the bottles, or if the liquid is cloudy, give the bottle a shake before using.
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[mf_editorial_break layout=”twocolmedia” title=”Champagne Cocktail” image=”https://modernfarmer.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/bitters1.jpg”]

(Makes 1 drink)
1 sugar cube
4 to six dashes Angostura or other aromatic bitters
Chilled champagne
Garnish: lemon twist

Place the sugar cube on the bottom of a champagne flute. Douse the sugar cube with the bitters and fill the glass with Champagne. Garnish with a lemon twist.
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[mf_editorial_break layout=”twocolmedia” title=”Old-Fashioned” image=”https://modernfarmer.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/bitters2.jpg”]

(Makes 1 drink)
2 ounces rye or bourbon
¼ ounce simple syrup
3 dashes Angostura or other aromatic bitters
Garnish: thick piece of lemon or orange zest

Combine the rye or bourbon, simple syrup and bitters in a mixing glass filed with ice. Stir until chilled and strain into a chilled double old-fashioned glass filled with large pieces of cracked ice or a large ice cube. Garnish with lemon or orange zest.
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[mf_editorial_break layout=”twocolmedia” title=”Sawyer” image=”https://modernfarmer.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/bitters3.jpg”]

(Makes 1 drink)
2 ounces gin, preferably Beefeater
½ ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
½ ounce simple syrup (see recipe)
14 dashes Angastura bitters
7 dashes Peychaud’s Bitters
7 dashes orange bitters,
(Preferably equal parts Fee Brothers West Indian Orange Bitters and Regan’s Orange Bitters No. 6)

Combine all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker filled with ice and shake until chilled. Double-strain into a chilled double old-fashioned glass.
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[mf_editorial_break layout=”twocol” title=”Syrups” subtitle=”Add some sweetness.”]

Simple Syrup

(Makes 1½ cups)
1 cup sugar
1 cup water

Rich Syrup

(Makes 1½ cups)
2 cups Demerara or turbinado sugar
1 cup water

In a medium saucepan, bring the sugar and water to a simmer, stirring the mixture occasionally to dissolve the sugar. At the first crack of a boil, remove from the heat. Let cool completely, then store the syrup in a glass jar with a lid. The syrup will keep in the refrigerator for up to a month.

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Recipes reprinted with permission from Bitters by Brad Thomas Parsons, copyright © 2011. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Random House LLC. Photographs © 2011 by Ed Anderson.