collection is easy enough - grab a bottle of an aromatic bitter, a preferred citrus bitter, and maybe a couple of niche flavours. The downside to creating your own collection is the investment since a typical 4oz (100ml) bottle can run anywhere from $15 to $30. That’s why I set out to find a way to make my own in order to save a few dollars and get creative with my cocktails. There are two traditional ways to make your own bitters: the mashbill method or creating tinctures. I went with mashbill because of the simplicity in mixing all the ingredients together and giving it some time. It starts with acquiring the basic ingredients: Base bittering roots, herbs, and spices. I chose gentian root, hops, wild cherry bark, cinchona bark, and cassia chips as they could be used in several different recipes. But Kyle where do I find bittering herbs and the other ingredients? A quick internet search for bittering herbs will get you started and the less specialty ingredients can be found in your local grocery or bulk food store. Now, the next ingredient that is necessary is a high-proof spirit. Depending on the profile you want to create, I recommend using high-proof neutral vodka to let the ingredients shine. Also consider high-proof whisky to add barrel and caramel notes, or even a navy strength rum for tropical sweetness. Whatever you choose - stick to something that is minimum 50% ABV (go higher if you can find it). The last and most important ingredient is patience, a batch will take a month to finish. After I perfected a few recipes, I experimented by making Chai bitters. It’s a flavour profile I truly enjoy and I can’t even think about a Chai Whisky Sour or Chai Old Fashioned now without my mouth watering. Online recipes were dissatisfying so instead I researched the flavour profile and made my own based on other recipes hence creating my own mashbill.
Kyle’s Chai Bitters YIELDS 12-16 OZ 1 tablespoon, dehydrated orange peel ½ Stick, cinnamon 1 teaspoon, Gentian root ¼ teaspoon, Fennel seeds 8 Cardamom pods, slightly popped open ½ teaspoon, whole allspice berries ½ teaspoon, black peppercorns ½ Fresh vanilla pod, split 2-3 slices, candied ginger ¼ teaspoon, nutmeg 350ml High Proof Neutral Spirit 2 (750ml) mason jars Cheese cloth or coffee filters
1. Mix all the ingredients together in mason jar number 1 and let sit for two weeks, shaking daily. 2. Strain the liquid, through cheese cloth, into mason jar number 2 and reserve. 3. Add the solids to a pot with enough water (about 1 cup) to fully cover the solids and simmer for five to ten minutes. Let the mixture cool, dump the contents of the pot in cleaned mason jar number 1. Allow that to steep for one week. (Remember I said this needs time) 4. Strain jar number 1 through cheese cloth and discard the solids. Then mix jar number 1 and 2 together, and you guessed it, let sit for one more week. 5. Strain the finished batch through cheese cloth to remove as many particles as possible. 6. Store in sterilized 4oz jars, these will last indefinitely but will taste the best within the first year.
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the whisky explorer magazine
FALL 2023
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