Cocktail Bitters, Aromatics Set

This set of four bitters has widely diverging, equally alluring flavors. Scrappy's make their bitters as "true herb macerations" meaning they start with the real deal spices and plants — instead of pre-made extracts — to get the purest flavors.

The aromatic bitters, a heady mix of herbs and spices, heavy on the orange and anise, is the classic flavoring for Old-Fashioneds and Manhattans. 

The celery bitters is a bright, accurate iteration of the vegetable and pairs great with a flute of brunch champagne or a Bloody Mary. 

Chocolate bitters has the richness of dark cocoa — wonderful with rum, rye or whiskey.

The lavender bitters is lightly floral and slightly spicy, great for bright lavender daiquiris and sparkling cocktails.

This set opens the doors to cocktail creativity. Splash a few drops on the back of your hand to get a feel for the taste, then experiment with abandon.

Bitters, thanks to the high alcohol content, will happily keep for a long time if stored in a cool, dark cupboard and kept tightly secured.

A couple of drops in a cocktail will add a subtle layer of flavor to the drink.

If you want to skip the booze, make a soda: Sprinkle 8–10 dashes of bitters into a glass full of ice, then fill with club soda — it’s refreshing enough to revive the mind, but won't put you under the table.

Here are some recipes to get you started on using these for cocktails: 

The Black Manhattan
2 ounces rye whiskey
3/4 ounce Averna amaro
1/4 ounce black strap rum
2 dashes chocolate bitters
orange twist

This is a beautiful take on the classic cocktail, and the depth of the chocolate bitters helps it live up to its name. Pour all liquid ingredients into a large glass filled with ice. Stir gently with a spoon until cold (you can tell it's time when the glass turns frosty). Strain into a small glass. Twist the orange peel over the glass to release the oils, then drop it in.

Garden Tonic
1/2 lime, squeezed
1–2 dashes celery bitters 
5–7 ounces of tonic water

A refreshing drink, similar in spirit to celery soda, but much more subtle. Squeeze the lime juice into a tall glass of ice, drop in the bitters, then top with tonic.

Marmalade Sour
2 ounces tequila reposado
1 ounce lemon juice
3 dashes of lavender bitters
1 teaspoon or orange marmalade
1 egg white (pull it out of the refrigerator and separate it from the yolk straight into the cocktail shaker.) 

This is a classic sour cocktail — complete with egg white — with a few twists in flavor. Place all ingredients into an empty cocktail shaker. Give it a good, vigorous dry shake (meaning without ice) to emulsify the egg white with the rest of the ingredients. Add ice and shake again until frothy. Strain into a cocktail glass.

Rye Whisper
2 ounces rye
1/2 ounce Amaro Averna
1/2 ounce Noilly Prat
1/4 ounce Benedictine (or another herbal liqueur)
2 dashes aromatic bitters

Stir all ingredients in a glass filled with ice until cold. Strain into a cocktail glass or a highball and garnish with a brandied cherry.

It’s not easy to make robust, bitter flavors that only require a drop to taste. At least not without the aid of chemicals. But Scrappy’s have achieved a remarkable thing in their Seattle kitchen: a range of dense, powerful bitters made from organic ingredients. Hand-crafted in small batches, many of the ingredients used are home-grown. 

Please email support@kaufmann-mercantile.com.  We reply to every email promptly. Or call us at 347 529 5122.

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