Bitters are great, they're not trying to hide who they are. You needn't ask the question, "Hey, why do they call them bitters?". One taste and you'll understand, and if you've a fairly welcoming palette (and maybe a bit of a drinking problem), you might find some beauty in knocking back a shot of the stuff. Typically though, bitters serve to either bridge less compatible flavours in a beverage, or to add a touch of intrigue to a concoction you find falling flat.
Bitters are essentially a distillation of alcohol and botanicals, with a "bitter" flavour. The line can get a little murky when you start throwing some high-proof herbal liqueurs like Fernet or even Jagermeister into the mix, but based on the potency of the flavour, bitters are typically meant to be used in small quantity, with such precise measurements as dashes and drops (typically). Angostura is the heavyweight champ of the product, and if you're familiar with bitters, you'll certainly be familiar with Angostura; a staple among a massive number of classic cocktails like the Old Fashioned, Manhattan, and Singapore Sling.
Many of the ingredients used to make bitters are also cited as being good for digestive health (anything that makes eating better is a big plus for me), and are even toted as a tasty way to treat an upset tummy. The real beauty of bitters though, is the sheer variety available to play with. There are some time tested classics like Peychaud's, orange, and celery, and the resurgence of cocktail culture has made a huge range of flavours like chocolate, pear, and habanero commercially available.
If you still can't find what you're looking for though, you can always try your hand at making your own. Just don't expect to have as robust a product as companies who've been making them for decades, after one, two, or twenty tries. Also, it should go without saying, but do your research before you use that funky smelling mould under the sink as an ingredient, some 'botanicals' might be surprisingly toxic under the right circumstances.
Speaking of homemade bitters, I prepped a special setup for today's drink of choice to showcase some specially made bitters from a local friend and tincturer, Michael Schwake. The Old Fashioned is a cocktail you may have heard of before. It's come into prominence over the last few years with the help of some TV placement, and I suspect the sheer simplicity of the drink. The simplicity and familiarity makes the Old Fashioned a great vessel to experiment with some seaworthy flavours.
The (Experimental) Old Fashioned
- 2 oz bourbon whiskey
- 1/2 oz simple syrup (or a sugar cube for presentation)
- ~3 dashes bitters (Angostura Traditionally)
- orange/lemon twist for garnish
Bourbon is a solid base here, but if you're working with some bitters with a little more punch, you can try rye to spice things up. I like simple syrup because it's easier to work with, but if you're prepping the drink for some guests/friends/romantic interests, the added presentation of dousing a sugar cube with your bitters and muddling it with a splash of water/soda before you add your spirits and ice. Regardless, once you have all your ingredients together, stir them on ice for about 20-30 turns, and pour it into a tumbler over a nice big ice chunk, so it's cold, but minimizes dilution. You may have noticed my photo doesn't quite match my instructions. Since I had a number of bitters I wanted to put to the test, I split the mixture (minus bitters) into some tester shot-glasses and added a reduced portion of the bitters to each. The root beer and peach bitters were a hit, in case you're wondering.