Think of bitters as a liquid spice rack. A well-balanced, flavor-packed addition to cocktails and hot or cold beverages like coffee and tea. A dash or two of bitters added to mineral water or club soda, turns basic hydration into a treat. Bitters make a delicious addition to cooking, especially baked goods, frostings, and custards.
What are bitters?
Originally developed by apothecaries, herbalists, and healers for the curative or preventative properties presumed to be present in the ingredients, bitters were a staple of early pharmacists’ and physicians’ medical cabinets. By adding herbs, citrus peels, roots, and other natural ingredients to alcohol distillates, they steeped the various ingredients for days or months, resulting in potent plant extracts that eventually became known collectively as bitters. Bitter notes, while evolutionarily conditioned to be a warning signal to the human palate to recognize non-edible plants, were also prized for their flavor-balancing properties. Bitter elements stimulate the salivary glands and encourage healthful digestion. In centuries past, various liquors were also prescribed for medicinal purposes, so chemists and physicians would also recommend adding a few drops of bitters to counteract various maladies. And thus, the earliest cocktails were made.
What do you do with bitters?
Although many may be familiar with a few dashes of bitters being an essential flavor component of classic cocktails like the Old Fashioned and Manhattan, they’re a lively addition to beverages like coffee, tea, or to brighten up club soda. They also add complexity and balancing notes to baked goods and desserts.
Here are a few of our favorite bitters applications:
Substitutions….
orange bitters for vanilla in carrot cake
lemongrass-cardamom bitters for lemon concentrate in citrus gelato
coffee-cherry bitters for espresso in ice cream
black walnut bitters for vanilla in banana bread
Additions….
grapefruit bitters to cheesecake
orange or aromatic bitters to buttercream frosting
lemongrass-cardamom bitters to lemon squares
NOLA bitters to impart floral character and an elegant blush hue to panna cotta, blancmange or flan
a few dashes coffee-cherry bitters and fresh cream to iced coffee
Who’s behind Honest John Bitters Co.?
Owner Sara Lund incorporated Honest John Bitters Co. in 2016, highlighting original recipes developed in collaboration with bartenders and chefs at her downtown Salt Lake City bars Bodega and {the rest}. They produced the bitters to support the extensive bar program of the two spots, driven by the desire to make flavorful high-quality products with organic ingredients. The company quickly expanded to include local bitters education classes, wholesale distribution to craft cocktail bars, and selected stockists.
What is in Honest John Bitters?
Honest John Bitters are always made with a pure spirits-based, glycerin-free foundation. The organic plant materials used to create our bitters are sourced from Mountain Rose Farm in Oregon.
Do Bitters Contain Alcohol?
Yes, alcohol is the primary ingredient of bitters, and is essential for concentrating and extracting flavor from plant materials. Since the flavors are so intense, only using a few dashes of bitters to low- or no-ABV drinks adds a negligible amount of alcohol. In baking and cooking applications, bitters are similar in alcohol concentration as high-quality natural vanilla extract.
Was There An Actual Honest John?
The branding and early concept development of Honest John Bitters Co. was designed to evoke times past, when bitters were mysterious curatives peddled by alchemists, physicians, and yes, even infamous traveling snake oil salesmen who may have been crossing their fingers behind their backs when they touted the cure-all powers of bitters. Actual bitters manufacturers advertising from the 19th century inspired the label copy. A Salt Lake City writer and cocktail historian composed the fictionalized journals of a character named Honest John based upon historical events and persons alive during the heyday of bitters, just after the American Civil War. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner.
What is the shelf life of Bitters?
Bitters are a tincture that are made With High proof alcohol, and if properly stored, can have a Shelf life of 1 year or more. it is best to store Honest john bitters in a temperature controlled area and out of Direct sunlight. refrigeration is not Necessary, but will certainly not do any harm.
If using a dropper, what is the equivalent of a “dash”?
Most recipes will list the measurement of bitters in “dashes”. If you have purchased our Sample Set or 0.5oz bottles, your Honest John Bitters will come with a dropper top instead of a neck reducer that allows you to “dash”. Our Sample Set dropper top will need to be filled twice for the equivalent of 1 dash. Our 0.5oz dropper top will need to be filled once for the equivalent of 1 dash.