Even a perfect Thanksgiving dinner isn't as sumptuous without a little seasoning. The same could be said for the cocktail you sip before the meal.
As the cocktail world increasingly takes a culinary approach to drinkmaking, bartenders are flavoring their liquid dishes with an expanding arsenal of boutique bitters — a potent, bittersweet additive.
"Bitters are like the salt and pepper of cocktails," said Robb Jones, bar manager at Saffron in downtown Minneapolis. "They're underlying, and they're going to bring out everything else that's good about a cocktail."
There's nothing ho-hum about the invigorating herb-and-spice medley of Angostura bitters, which dates to the 1820s, or the Sazerac staple Peychaud's. But new and unusual varieties are infiltrating cocktail menus and home bars.
Led by Bittercube, which Jones credits with setting a high bar for Midwestern craft bitters, three local companies are producing adventurous flavors that can be used to augment classic recipes. "It's getting so specific now that there's probably bitters for every single flavoring agent you could ever think of putting in a cocktail," Jones said.
While Bittercube, which was founded by Eat Street Social's Nick Kosevich and Ira Koplowitz in 2009, technically manufactures its dynamic bitters in Wisconsin, wholly Twin Cities-based companies Dashfire and Easy & Oskey (which makes DIY home-bitters kits) came to market this year.
Dashfire launched with two flavors, the exotic spice-meshing Mr. Lee's Ancient Chinese Secret and a more traditional orange bitters, which Jones uses in his autumnally fruity Old Orchard. Rather than using a neutral grain spirit like Everclear or vodka as the base for his barrel-aged orange bitters, Dashfire founder Lee Egbert opts for over-proof bourbon. "I don't know about you, but the idea of putting vodka in my Manhattan is crazy talk," said Egbert, who also is a partner in startup distillery 11 Wells.
In a side-by-side with the more ubiquitous Fee Brothers West Indian orange bitters, Egbert's blend has a deeper, zestier character.