This week we took a trip to New York City, because we were invited to teach a workshop on formulating cocktail bitters for our friends at Kindred, a restaurant in the East Village. Our social media posts about it were popular, with lots of commenters saying that they would love to learn how to make their own bitters. Well, you can!
The process of making herbal cocktail bitters isn’t too complicated: make a tincture, decoct the marc, mix the liquids and add a little sweetener. Today we want to get past the basics and talk a little bit about the way we formulate cocktail bitters. In some ways, it’s not too much different from other kinds of herbal formulation (and we have a whole online training course about herbal formulation for those who need it), but there are some special considerations for cocktail bitters.
First of all, it ought to taste good! Building your formula around flavors is the standard way bitters blends are invented today, in the hip bars and restaurants that are reinvigorating cocktail culture. But we’re herbalists, and that means we’re also thinking about the medicinal actions of the herbs in our formulas. Our medicines are foodlike, and our foods are medicinal – so when we say “that’s herbalism, too” about our bitter blends, we really mean it!
Listen in for some guidelines to follow, and some examples of our own successful (delicious and effective) cocktail bitter formulas.
Herbs discussed include: chamomile, blue vervain, wood betony, mugwort, tulsi, gentian, artichoke, centaury, angelica, elecampane, calamus, citrus, ginger, hawthorn, motherwort, anise, cardamom, fennel, pine, & lemon[balm|grass|verbena|thyme].
Want all the details on how to make your own cocktail bitters? You’ll find a complete instructional video in our Herbal Medicine-Making course. In this online course there are more than 45 close-up, step-by-step videos showing how to make all the kinds of herbal preparations – plus recipes, printable instruction cards, and more. You can ask us questions on anything you’re wondering about, both in the discussion threads or in our twice-weekly live Q&A web conferences. Progress at your own pace, learn on your own schedule, and get direct access to Katja & Ryn! You’ll be crafting your own signature cocktails (and mocktails!) in no time.
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You can find all of our online herbalism courses at online.commonwealthherbs.com!
