Bitters, this is your year. If you’ve looked in the liquor accessories aisle lately, bitters have exploded. There are lots of classica, like Angostura, Fernet-Branca or Peychauds, and a plethora of new and exciting varieties, like Xocolatl Mole from Bittermans, Cherry Bark Vanilla from Bittercube and Moroccan from Bitter End Bitters. Many are handmade, small batch bitters from folks with their eye on the perfect cocktail. After attending a bitters tasting & cooking class at Kitchen in the Market with Bittercube founders Nicholas Kosevich and Ira Koplowitz, I was hooked! And lucky for me, bitters are supper easy to make at home. I made Juniper Bitters and created a lovely cocktail to go with it, the Cranberry Juniper Twist, which would be perfect for the holidays.
My bitters inspiration naturally came from my garden. Juniper is a classic flavor base for bitters (and gin), which I combined with fresh rosemary, thyme, black peppercorns and vodka. The idea is to make a super intense infusion that heightens the profile of your cocktail.
