Citrus Bitters Recipes

Bright, zesty, and unshakably confident, “I Will Survive” Citrus Bitters brings clarity and kick to every cocktail it touches. Whether you’re stirring something moody and complex like Cool Jazz, or shaking up tropical boldness with Edward Albee or The Oaxacan Tavern, this bitters is here to wake up your glass—and your tastebuds.

1. Cool Jazz

1oz Herbaceous Gin
1oz Italicus Liqueur
0.75oz Cynar
0.5oz Sweet Vermouth
4-5 Dashes Bitter Ex “I Will Survive” Citrus Bitters
Stir/strain into coupe, serve up
Garnish with lemon swath

2. Edward Albee

Is it because he wrote the play A Delicate Balance? Is it because this drink is a riff on the Beachcomber and Albee wrote Sea Scape? I'm not sure because I was drunk when I named it and can't recall why. But he deserves a drink named after him, and you deserve a rich and refreshing cocktail tonight.

1.5oz Aged Dark Rum
0.5oz Maraschino Cherry Liqueur
0.25oz Suze Liqueur
0.25oz Triple Sec
0.5oz Lime Juice
0.25oz Simple Syrup
6-7 Dashes Bitter Ex “You Lil’ Tart” Sour Cherry Bitters
3-4 dashes Bitter Ex “I Will Survive” Citrus Bitters
Shake/strain in rocks glass over fresh ice, serve on the rocks
Garnish with a lime and cherry

3. The Oaxacan Tavern

2oz Blanco Tequila
0.5oz Averna Amaro
0.25oz Orange Juice
0.25oz Lime Juice
0.25oz Simple Syrup
6-7 Dashes “Old Flame” Charred Cedar & Cloves Bitters
2-3 Dashes “I Will Survive” Citrus Bitters
Shake/strain in rocks glass over fresh ice, serve on the rocks
Garnish with a lime wheel

4. Pegu Club

The Pegu Club Cocktail was created in the Pegu Club Bar in Rangoon, Burma (present day Yangon, Myanmar). A British Officer’s hideaway during the British Empire’s reign in Southeast Asia, the members of Pegu Club championed the dryness of gin blended with orange curacao, adding fresh lime juice for a tart, brisk complexity for their cocktail namesake. The often overlooked and underappreciated classic cocktail from the 1870s is generally accentuated with either an aromatic or a citrus bitters. We firmly believe it should be a bit of both.

2oz London Dry Gin
0.75oz Orange Curacao
0.75oz Fresh Lime Juice
2-3 dashes Bitter Ex "I Will Survive" Citrus Bitters
2-3 dashes Bitter Ex "Broken-Hearted" Aromatic Bitters
Shake, strain into a chilled coupe

5. Rum Swizzle

The national drink of Bermuda, the Rum Swizzle, is a tropical blend that has roots of, well, roots. The drink originated from a blend of spruce beer (a form of fermented beverage made from the spruce tree not unlike a root beer or a birch beer), with rum, fruit juices, and sweetener, and of course, is balanced carefully by the tartness of citrus bitters.

1.5oz Gold Rum
2oz orange juice
2oz pineapple juice
0.25oz grenadine
2-3 dashes Bitter Ex "I Will Survive" Citrus Bitters
Build over ice in a Collins glass, stir, serve

6. Jets to Brazil

This is a citrus forward drink for citrus lovers. Get that boost of vitamin C when your sipping on this homage to Blake Schwarzenbach (check their album title) and find balance with the brandy and aromatic bitters.

1.5oz orange or citrus vodka (we like St. George's citrus)
0.5oz cognac (brandy)
1oz orange juice
0.5oz simple syrup
0.5oz triple sec
2 dashes Bitter Ex “I Will Survive” Citrus Bitters
1 dash Bitter Ex “Broken-Hearted” Aromatic Bitters
Shake, strain into coupe, serve up

7. The Sawyer

This is a pretty easy drink to make, and it is quite bitters heavy. Finding a drink that uses bitters well that doesn’t use a brown alcohol is rare, and The Sawyer has levels of complexity that make every sip enjoyable.

Ingredients:

2oz dry gin
0.5oz fresh squeezed lime juice
0.5oz simple syrup (1:1, sugar:water)
14 dashes “Broken-Hearted” Aromatic Bitters
7 dashes “Float Yer Boat” Root Beer Bitters
7 dashes “I Will Survive” Citrus Bitters
Shake, strain into a chilled rocks glass
Garnish lime

8. Dark and Stormy

This is a surprisingly refreshing drink. It’s important to choose a spicy ginger beer. I prefer Goslings or Barritts, but there are many on the market that are made with fresh ginger. Adding a splash of simple syrup is only important if the ginger beer doesn’t have an inherent sweetness so know your product. Steep fresh ginger in your simple syrup if you like it extra spicy.

Ingredients:

2oz blackstrap rum
1oz light rum
3oz ginger beer
0.5oz fresh squeezed lime juice
0.25oz simple syrup (1:1, sugar:water)
3-4 dashes “I Will Survive” Citrus Bitters
Shake light rum, bitters, lime juice, syrup, strain over fresh ice in rocks glass, add ginger beer, slowly pour blackstrap rum on top to create a "stormy" look
Garnish with lime

9. Tobacco Old Fashioned

3oz Whiskey
0.25oz Rich Demerara Syrup*
8-9 Dashes “Can’t Quit You” Tobacco Bitters
4-5 Dashes “I Will Survive” Citrus Bitters
Stir/strain into rocks glass over fresh ice, serve on the rocks
Garnish with an orange twist
*Rich Demerara Syrup
2 parts demerara (or turbinado) sugar
1 part water
Boil until sugar crystals are fully dissolved
Let cool; bottle; keeps refrigerated for 2 weeks

10. Brooklyn

The New York borough often plays second fiddle to its counterpart, as does the drink, but both their resurgence have occurred lately, and for good reason. Using fortified wine (dry vermouth), maraschino liqueur, an amaro, and a touch of bitters, this cocktail will rival that of most brown liquor cocktails, particularly if you used the bitters as recommended!

2oz Bourbon or Rye Whiskey
0.5oz Dry vermouth
0.25oz maraschino liqueur
0.25oz Amaro (any Italian liqueur will do)
3-4 dashes Bitter Ex “No Filter” Coffee Bitters
3-4 dashes Bitter Ex “I Will Survive” Citrus Bitters
Stir, strain into coupe or ice filled rocks glass
Garnish with orange swath and cherry

11. Martinez

The precursor to the Martini, and the follow up to the Manhattan, the Martinez is a boozy, yet bright gin-drinker’s fantasy.

3oz gin (we strongly recommend Hayman’s Old Tom Gin)
1.5oz sweet vermouth (we strongly recommend Dolin)
0.25oz maraschino cherry liqueur
4-5 dashes Bitter Ex “I Will Survive” Citrus Bitters
Stir, strain into chilled coupe
Garnish with lemon swath

Discover more recipes with bitters here.