One tomato, two tomato
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.
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Juniper Bitters
12/20/11
A chronicle of my adventures growing, preserving, cooking and eating from my garden and everywhere.
Known to many for my incredible ability to organize, I tackle gardening and life with equal verve. Obsessive, is that a bad thing?
Cranberry Juniper Twist
1/2 tsp juniper bitters
1 orange slice
1 slice ginger
2 tbs cranberry ginger simple syrup
juice of half a lime
1 1/2 oz gin
ice
soda
In a tall glass muddle juniper bitters, ginger and orange slice until well crushed. Add cranberry ginger syrup, lime juice, gin and stir. Add ice and top with soda, stirring once more. Garnish with lime slice.
Cranberry Ginger Simple Syrup
1 1/4 cups water
1 cup cranberries
3 thick slices ginger
1 cup sugar
Simmer water, berries and ginger on medium for 5 minutes. Strain. Add sugar and simmer until dissolved. Cool.
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.
Juniper Bitters
2 tbs fresh juniper berries
2-4” rosemary branches
2-4” thyme branches
2 tsp black peppercorns
1 pint vodka
1/4c dried juniper berries
Combine all the ingredients, except dried juniper berries, in a pint glass jar with a lid. Store is a cool dark place for one month. After one month, strain the vodka, discard herbs, then add the dried juniper berries for a double extract. After two months, strain again and you’re ready for cocktails!
