Recipes for Bitter Ex Bitters:
Manhattan
The quintessential classic brown liquor cocktail, the Manhattan, born in the late 1800s in the New York borough of the same name, features the earthy, caramel, or rustic flavors of whiskey sweetened gently with fortified wine (vermouth), and enhanced with the subtle touch of bitters. We like to be less subtle, blending two of our favorite flavors and having some fun with this cocktail when most mixologists are purists. It was nearly a tie in our taste tests, but Root Beer just edged out Citrus as a pairing with the must-have Aromatic. This drink is one that begs to be played around with, whether it’s the whiskey choice, the vermouth option, or the various possibilities of Bitter Ex Bitters, you are sure to have a variety of winners right in your glass.
2 oz Bourbon or Rye Whiskey
½ oz Sweet vermouth
3 dashes "Make-Up Sex" Aromatic Bitters
3 dashes "Float Yer Boat" Root Beer Bitters
1 Orange cut
1 Maraschino Cherry (optional)
Build over ice in a mixing glass, stir, strain into coupe or ice filled rocks glass, garnish with orange
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.
2 oz London Dry Gin
¾ oz orange curacao
¾ oz fresh lime juice
2 dashes "Make-Up Sex" Aromatic Bitters
2 dashes "Drunk Texting" Citrus Bitters
Shake well with cracked ice, strain into a chilled coupe
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.
1.5 oz Gold Rum
2 oz orange juice
2 oz pineapple juice
¼ oz grenadine
2-3 dashes "Drunk Texting" Citrus Bitters
Build over ice in a Collins glass, stir
Bitters End Tequila Cocktail
Finding a tequila drink that isn't a margarita is one thing, and then finding one that is bitters-heavy is another, but finding one that is delicious? Rare. The Bitters End Tequila Cocktail covers it all, and uses both the root beer and coffee flavors to blend a new richness to an already deep drink.
1.5 oz Gold Tequila
1 oz Simple Syrup
½ oz Amaro (any Italian liqueur will do - we like Averna)
2-3 dashes "Float Yer Boat" Root Beer Bitters
2-3 dashes "Cream Yourself" Coffee Bitters
Orange Peel
Build over ice, stir, garnish with orange peel
Maui Mule
The Moscow Mule has cousins, and this one is tropical and lovely. Counter the sweetness with some Bitter Ex aromatic bitters to allow a delicious balance of tart, sweet, spicy, and bitter.
1.5 oz citrus vodka
0.5 oz lime juice
0.25 oz simple syrup
1 oz pineapple juice
Shake over ice and strain into Collins glass of fresh ice
Top with:
2 oz ginger beer
5-6 dashes Make Up Sex Aromatic Bitters
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.
1.5 oz aged dark rum
0.5 oz maraschino liqueur
0.25 oz Suze bitter liqueur
0.25 oz triple sec
0.25 oz simple syrup
0.5 oz lime juice
3-4 dashes Drunk Texting Citrus Bitters
Stir and strain in rocks glass over fresh ice
Backwards and In High Heels
This one I remember naming! It's a favorite quote about Ginger Rogers: "She did everything that Fred Astaire did, but she did it backwards and in high heels". Ginger, you deserve this ginger liqueur cocktail named after you. (We like Koval or Canton's liqueur)
1 oz Stolen overproof rum
1 oz ginger liqueur
.75 oz lemon juice
.75 oz lime juice
.75 oz orange juice
.75 oz demerera simple syrup
5-6 dashes Make Up Sex Aromatic Bitters
2-3 dashes Drunk Texting Citrus Bitters
Shake all ingredients and serve down in small rocks glass; garnish with a lemon wedge and a cherry
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.
1.5 oz orange or citrus vodka (we like St. George's citrus)
0.5 oz cognac (brandy)
1 oz orange juice
0.5 oz simple syrup
0.5 oz triple sec
2 dashes Drunk Texting Citrus Bitters
1 dash Make Up Sex Aromatic Bitters
Shake all ingredients and serve up
Reconciliation
A mescal/bourbon sour that uses a ton of bitters. Delish!
1.5 oz mescal
0.5 oz bourbon
1 oz lemon juice
0.5 oz demerera simple syrup
25 dashes Make Up Sex Aromatic Bitters
Shake all ingredients and serve down
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:
2 ounces dry gin
½ ounce fresh squeezed lime juice
½ ounce simple syrup (1:1, sugar:water)
14 dashes “Make Up Sex” Aromatic Bitters
7 dashes “Float Yer Boat” Root Beer Bitters
7 dashes “Drunk Texting” Citrus Bitters
Lime twist
Directions:
Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker, add ice and shake, strain into a chilled rocks glass.
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:
2 oz blackstrap rum
1 oz light rum
4 oz ginger beer
½ ounce fresh squeezed lime juice
½ oz simple syrup (1:1, sugar:water)
3 dashes “Drunk Texting” Citrus Bitters
1 lime wedge
Directions:
Fill a short cocktail glass with ice. Add in light rum, bitters, lime juice, syrup, and ginger beer and stir.
Slowly pour blackstrap rum on top to create a "stormy" look. Garnish with lime.
The Garden Tonic
This is an herbaceous and minty version of a gin and tonic. As refreshing as it is complex, this cocktail will satisfy those who don’t love sweet cocktails.
Ingredients:
1½ oz gin
2 teaspoons St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur
3 ounces tonic water
4 mint leaves
3 cucumber slices
2 dashes "Stalking Ex" Spicy Celery Bitters
Fresh lime wedge
Directions:
In the bottom of a collins glass, agitate the mint leaves and cucumber slices with the bitters. Add ice. Pour in the liqueur and gin. Top with tonic water and stir. Garnish with lime wedge.
Antigua Old Fashioned
A riff on a classic drink, the whiskey is traded out for an aged rum giving the richness some tropical fruit undertones. The coffee bitters allow for a layer of nutty spice to come out. Easy to make and even easier to drink.
2½ oz aged rum
½ tsp superfine sugar
3 dashes “Cream Yourself” Coffee Bitters
Stir all ingredients to dissolve the sugar, add ice, and stir again.
Finish with a strip of orange peel.
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!
2 oz Bourbon or Rye Whiskey
½ oz Dry vermouth
¼ oz maraschino liqueur
¼ oz Amaro (any Italian liqueur will do)
3 dashes “Cream Yourself” Coffee Bitters
3 dashes “Drunk Texting” Citrus Bitters
1 Orange cut
1 Maraschino Cherry (optional)
Build over ice in a mixing glass, stir, strain into coupe or ice filled rocks glass, garnish with orange
Bloody Maria
In this south-of-the-border spin on the brunch-favorite Bloody Mary, boring vodka is replaced by earthy tequila. The Bloody Maria gains extra kick from a dose of horseradish and a few dashes of spicy celery bitters. Brunch becomes a fiesta with this tequila-spiked Bloody Mary.
Ingredients:
2 oz Tequila (blanco/silver)
4 oz Tomato juice
1⁄2 oz Lemon Juice
4 dashes Worcestershire sauce
2 dashes Louisiana Hot Sauce
2 dashes Cholula Hot Sauce
1 tsp Prepared horseradish, to taste
1 pinch Celery salt
1 pinch Ground black pepper
4-5 dashes "Stalking Ex" Celery Bitters
Directions:
Add all the ingredients to a shaker and fill with ice. Shake briefly and strain into a pint glass filled with fresh ice. Garnish with a lime wedge, a lemon wedge, a pickle, and whatever else you can imagine. Be creative!
Food recipes:
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients:
9oz butter – room temperature
5oz sugar
5oz brown sugar
2 eggs room temperature – beaten
¼oz Bitter Ex “Cream Yourself” Coffee Bitters
¼oz Bitter Ex “Make-Up Sex” Aromatic Bitters
½oz vanilla extract
13oz flour (or sub Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free flour)
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
12oz chips (try combining chocolate, butterscotch, peanut butter..)
Directions:
Sift the dry ingredients and set aside.
Combine and mix the eggs and extracts, set aside.
Cream the butter just until light in color.
With the mixer on low, add the combined sugars.
Mix on medium about 1 minute; scrape the mixture down from the sides of the mixing bowl.
Repeat.
With the mixer on medium, slowly add the egg mix. Scrape the bowl.
Add the dry ingredients in 3 additions, scraping the bowl before each.
Add the chips shortly after the third addition (before the dough is fully combined)
At this point finish mixing the dough by hand to keep it from being over mixed.
Bake @ 350º for 1oz cookie
Bake @ 375º for ¼oz cookie
Yields about 24 - 1oz cookies
Banana Cake
Ingredients:
8oz butter
9¼oz sugar
2 eggs
1tsp Bitter Ex “Float Yer Boat” Root Beer Bitters
1tsp vanilla extract
10oz cake flour
¾tsp baking soda
1½tsp baking powder
½tsp salt
10oz bananas – ripe/mashed
5oz milk (sub almond or coconut)
Directions:
Sift the dry ingredients and set aside.
Combine and mix the eggs, bitters, and extracts, set aside.
Cream the butter just until light in color.
With the mixer on low, add the sugar.
Mix on medium about 1 minute, scrape the mixture down from the sides of the mixing bowl.
Repeat.
Once the butter and sugar mixture is lightly/airy, slowly add the egg mixture, mix until just combined (careful not to over mix)
With the mixer on low add 1/3 of the dry mix, stir, then 1/3 of the milk; continue to alternate, stirring gently between additions (just 2 or 3 turns of the mixer to stir)
Once the batter is almost uniform, gently fold-in the mashed bananas.
Pour into a prepared 10” cake round, bake at 350º until tester comes out clean, about 40 min.
Allow to cool about 15 minutes in the pan, un-pan, and place on cooling rack to cool completely.
Scone Recipe
Ingredients:
3¼c flour (sub Bob’s Red Mill GF Flour)
¼c brown sugar
¼tsp salt
1¼c golden raisins, prunes, and dried apricots
12oz butter – cubed, chilled
3 eggs beaten – room temperature
1tsp Bitter Ex “Cream Yourself” Coffee Bitters
1tsp vanilla extract
3oz + 1oz buttermilk
1 egg beaten (for wash)
1oz coarse sugar
Directions:
Combine and mix 3 eggs, bitters, extract, 3oz buttermilk (reserve some buttermilk and set aside)
Combine and mix flour, brown sugar, & salt, and then stir in the dry fruit.
Mix in butter until pea-sized & dough has a ‘mealy’ consistency. Make a well in the center of the dry mixture.
Add into the well the egg mixture (using a wooden spoon or gloved hands)
Stir the mixture just until the dough begins to come together (if the dough seems too dry add some of the remaining buttermilk a little at a time).
Shape in to a 1¼-inch thick disc.
Wrap in plastic wrap. Chill (best over night).
Cut chilled dough into equal size wedges or triangles.
Place onto a baking sheet near each other (they like to be friendly)
Brush the tops with egg wash *this makes ‘em shine.
Sprinkle lightly with coarse sugar
Bake @ 425º about 15 minutes just until they are set and begin to color.
Bored? Try combining chopped nuts, white, chocolate or cinnamon chips with other complimentary dried fruit, there are so many.
Or for savories… Cut the sugar by half: add fresh herbs, grated cheese and ground spices. Sprinkle lightly with course sea salt.
Yields about 16 scones