Affordable Gifts for men – The 12 Days of Dappered #12

Embracing Craft Bitters | Bittercube Bitters – $48.00 for 6 bottles

12 weekdays, 12 gifts, not a partridge or pear tree amongst them.  And no golden rings either.  The goal is to keep these affordable (which is honestly, tough to define) but still interesting.  At the very least these should be idea starters.  Click here for the previous days.

By:  Drinks Correspondent Ben Madeska

Too often, bitters get the short shrift at home. If they’re used at all it’s a couple dashes of Angostura bitters (tossed on a Manhattan, more for the sake of tradition than any consideration of taste.  Maybe you’ve picked up Peychaud’s Bitters to use in a Sazerac.  But more often than not these bottles sit and collect dust before being passed on to the grandkids, still 3/4 full.

Bitters are vital, though.  They pull a drink together.  Fortunately for all of us, the cocktail renaissance happening in bars around the world is creeping into our homemade cocktails.  The different craft bitters made by Bittercube are an easy way to make your drinks distinctive and much, much better.

From their website:

• Cherry Bark Vanilla Bitters are aromatic and potent, with hints of cherry, cocoa and Madagascar vanilla.
• Jamaican Bitters #1 have robust Jamaican Spice overtones, with hints of ginger and black pepper
• Jamaican Bitters #2 are bright, with grapefruit and hibiscus overtones, and underlying island spice notes.
• Orange Bitters are citrus forward with aromas of caramelized orange, coriander, and cardamom.
• Bolivar Bitters are light and aromatic, with notes of chamomile, cinnamon and dried fruits.
• Blackstrap Bitters are full-bodied, with molasses, clove, sassafras and sarsaparilla aroma and flavors.

These are bitters to experiment with.  Throw some Orange Bitters on your next Martini to boost the aroma.  A combination of Cherry Bark Vanilla Bitters and Orange Bitters works perfectly with Bourbon when making an Old Fashioned.  The grapefruit and spice flavors of Jamaican Bitters #2 are great in a Pink Gin. I started drinking Club Soda with bitters as cure-all remedy during shifts as a waiter and it remains an favorite aperitif.  Give these six little bottles a shot and before long you’ll be scouring old bartending guides for inspiration.

….