Orange bitters

Bitter orange
Fee Brothers West Indian Orange Bitters

Orange bitters is a form of bitters, a cocktail flavoring made from such ingredients as the peels of Seville oranges, cardamom, caraway seed, coriander, anise, and burnt sugar in an alcohol base. Orange bitters, which are not to be confused with the standard Angostura aromatic bitters, are currently enjoying a resurgence among cocktail enthusiasts.[1] The widely-known House of Angostura is one of the producers of orange bitters.[2]

For many years, it was difficult to find orange bitters in the United States and elsewhere.[3] Because of this, some cocktail recipes that traditionally contained orange bitters may now exclude that ingredient.

Renowned mixologist Gary Regan created Regan's Orange Bitters (stylized and trademarked as Regans') in the 1990s.[4] Regans' is bottled and sold by the Sazerac Company, whose chief executive officer, Mark Brown, had worked with Regan to create a modern version of these bitters. Since 2006, the Bitter Truth in Germany has produced all-natural orange bitters, and there are now a number of different brands on the market.[4]

Different orange bitters are sometimes mixed to hit the desired note.[5] For example, a "Feegan's", often used in a Manhattan, consists of an equal-parts mix of Fee Bros West India Orange Bitters and Regans' Orange Bitters No. 6.[6][7] This is done to balance out the candy-like sweetness of Fee's and the heavy cardamom note of Regans'.[3]

Orange bitters can also be made at home, allowing one to create new flavor profiles that are not available anywhere else. The process of making orange bitters takes several days.[8][9] While orange bitters are typically alcoholic, there are several brands of non-alcoholic bitters available.[10]

Drinks whose recipes can include orange bitters include the Old Fashioned,[11] the dry martini,[12] and the revolver.[13]

  1. ^ Perry, C. (2006). "A revival of bitters? Sweeeet!", Los Angeles Times, 2006-01-25, p. F-8. Retrieved on 2009-02-08.
  2. ^ "Angostura Orange Bitters : The Whisky Exchange". www.thewhiskyexchange.com.
  3. ^ a b "Will the Real Orange Bitters Please Stand Up?". 15 February 2018.
  4. ^ a b Parsons, Brad Thomas (2011). Bitters: A Spirited History of a Classic Cure-All, with Cocktails, Recipes, and Formulas. Potter/TenSpeed/Harmon. ISBN 9781607740728. Retrieved 14 March 2017.
  5. ^ "Bitters make drinks better. But which ones do you need to buy?". Washington Post.
  6. ^ Wondrich, David (January 14, 2017). "The Strangely Cool Origin Story of the Manhattan". The Daily Beast – via www.thedailybeast.com.
  7. ^ "Ten Essential Bitters and How to Use Them". Archived from the original on 2022-03-19. Retrieved 2019-07-19.
  8. ^ "Orange Bitters". Washington Post.
  9. ^ "Orange Bitters". Archived from the original on 2019-07-19. Retrieved 2019-07-19.
  10. ^ "Three Brands of Nonalcoholic Bitters". Alcademics.com.
  11. ^ "The Dos and Don'ts of Making an Old Fashioned". Liquor.com.
  12. ^ "The Dry Martini Cocktail You Should Know How to Make". Liquor.com.
  13. ^ "The Mysterious, Magical Revolver Cocktail". Liquor.com.