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Homemade Bitters Put The Local Bite Back Into Cocktails

Homemade bitters with medicinal herbs and roots at the Black Trumpet Bistro in Portsmouth, N.H.
Emily Corwin
/
New Hampshire Public Radio
Homemade bitters with medicinal herbs and roots at the Black Trumpet Bistro in Portsmouth, N.H.

Evan Mallett is hovering over some plants in a Victorian-era greenhouse in Portsmouth, N.H.

Mallett, a chef at the Black Trumpet Bistro, is collecting medicinal herbs, which he infuses in alcohol to make his own bitters, a bittersweet alcoholic concentrate used to flavor cocktails.

Mallett says he often forages in the woods for ingredients like wild chamomile, dock and burdock root for his bitters, too.

The "homemade bitters" trend is relatively new.

Calamondin orange, an ingredient in chef Evan Mallett's bitters, inside a Victorian-era hothouse in Portsmouth, N.H.
Emily Corwin / New Hampshire Public Radio
/
New Hampshire Public Radio
Calamondin orange, an ingredient in chef Evan Mallett's bitters, inside a Victorian-era hothouse in Portsmouth, N.H.

From Prohibition until just a few years ago, almost every bartender in the country relied on just one brand of bitters. It's so ubiquitous, you'll probably recognize the name: Angostura.

After Prohibition, locally made bitters almost disappeared. Mallett says only New Orleans retained a cocktail culture that includes a variety of bitters brands and recipes.

"We were robbed of that for so long that now the idea of having more than just this one standard bitters is just world opening," says Mallett.

In 2007, the historian David Wondrich published a book of pre-Prohibition cocktail recipes called Imbibe! Now, bartenders across the country are experimenting with these bittersweet infusions.

Evan Mallett's own bartender, Charlie Coykendall, shakes a glass mason jar with bits of root floating around in a brownish liquid.

"You always start with a base spirit. Usually, the higher the alcohol, the better — because it'll do a better job of extracting the flavors," says Coykendall.

If you're into instant gratification, making bitters may not be for you: It's a three- to six-week process. You slowly add roots or bark, zest, leaves, even petals. Then you reduce and strain it, and add sugar or maple syrup.

This one is made with ginger root. But, of course, it's generally not a good idea to drink bitters straight — unless you're a fan of Fernet Branca or Jeppson's Malort.

Coykendall likes to muddle some lemon into simple syrup, bitters, and two ounces of rye whiskey, and shake it over ice and fresh mint.

It's called a whiskey smash, a drink he says is perfect for that summer picnic.

Copyright 2021 New Hampshire Public Radio. To see more, visit New Hampshire Public Radio.

Emily Corwin covers New Hampshire news, and reports on the state's criminal justice system. She's also one of eight dedicated reporters with the New England News Collaborative, a consortium of public media newsrooms across New England.