Our short list of must-trys for the season.
This play on the Dark & Stormy features corn directly off the cob, bitters infused Maple Syrup, artisanal Ginger Beer and Jamaican No. 1 Bitters, floated with Heirloom Alchermes Liqueur.
View RecipeThis whiskey sour riff utilizes muddled apple, which plays to the strengths of the other characters - Bourbon, Demerara Sugar and Jamaican No. 1 Bitters - creating a punctuated array of flavors.
View RecipeBalancing tropical and autumnal flavors, this Daisy riff showcases green apples and Jamaican No. 1 Bitters.
View RecipeExplore cocktail varieties for more recipe ideas.
Citrusy
Spirit Forward
Effervescent
Bitter
Our recipes use 1:1 (one-to-one) syrups, meaning equal parts sugar and water by weight. The easiest of these is Simple Syrup.
Combine equal parts of granulated sugar and boiling water removed from heat.
Stir until dissolved, let cool before using.
Keep covered and refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.
Be creative! Use botanical tea instead of plain water to create a flavored syrup. For a more robust syrup, try turbinado sugar.
More Syrup RecipesShaking and stirring each have particular effects on a cocktail. Some basics of these techniques:
Aims to chill, aerate, and add water to a cocktail. The ingredients to be shaken are combined (almost always with ice) in your preferred cocktail shaker. The shake should be firm and energetic, and the ice should strike each end of the tin as the shaker moves back and forth. "Double strain" with a hawthorne strainer and a tea strainer after shaking to catch tiny ice chips.
Is used to amalgamate, chill, and add water to a cocktail without aeration. This is done in a stirring vessel with a bar spoon. The aim is to smoothly spin the ingredients—without causing air bubbles—until proper dilution and temperature are achieved. Strain with a julep strainer, but if you don’t have one a hawthorne strainer can be substituted.
In general, both a dash (from Bittercube 5 oz bottles) or dropper (from Bittercube 1 oz bottles) are equivalent to slightly less than one ml of bitters. However, follow the instructions below for an accurate measurement.
Squeeze the bulb of the dropper twice, filling it to about three-quarters of its capacity. The bitters should not enter the bulb. Release the bitters by squeezing the bulb repeatedly until the dropper is empty.
Holding the neck of the bottle and using one fluid movement, swing the bottle until upside down. With a downward thrust, expel a dash of bitters from the bottle.
Experimentation Is Key
Try the classics, but don’t be afraid to experiment. Train your palate to recognize a well-balanced cocktail. Swap lemon and line, spirits, syrups, and-or bitters to create many cocktail variations.
Bitters are concentrated complex flavors, and their use isn’t limited to cocktails. Use Orange Bitters in a wheat beer; try Cherry Bark Vanilla as a replacement for vanilla extract; put Jamaican No. 2 in a vinaigrette; add Jamaican No. 1 to gingerbread. The possibilities are endless!
Working at:
LaCrosse Distilling Co.
Cocktail:
Driftless Pimms
Samantha “Sam” Goebel has been in the service industry for 13 years now. It has had its ups and downs, but she has an appreciation for the experiences because it has given her time to identify her strengths, solidify her passions and further shape her values. If she had to choose one word to describe herself it would be relentless and in the best way possible. She’s relentless when making, testing and perfecting cocktails. New to craft bartending, Sam credits Bittercube for teaching her everything from the basics to how to construct and teach others craft cocktails. “The knowledge Bittercube gave me will forever shape the style of cocktails I create.”
See Samantha's Recipe