Flavored Bitters Recipes: Grapefruit, Lavender, Cardamom, Walnut and More

The dried peel of two grapefruits, a teaspoon of gentian root, a few juniper berries and half a teaspoon of coriander seed in 250 ml of high-proof spirit. Two weeks. The juniper is what separates this from orange bitters, giving a drier and more resinous result that sits well in a Paloma or a gin and tonic.

Two teaspoons of culinary lavender, a teaspoon of gentian root, and a strip of lemon peel in 250 ml of spirit. Taste from day three. Lavender extracts faster than anything else on this page and turns soapy past its peak, so this is the one batch more often strained too late than too early. A dash lifts a gin sour or a glass of dry sparkling wine.

Crack ten green cardamom pods and steep them with a teaspoon of gentian root, a small piece of cinnamon and a strip of orange peel in 250 ml of spirit for about two weeks. Cracking the pods matters more than the count: whole ones give up very little. The finished bitters are warm and perfumed, and a rum Old Fashioned is where that shows clearest.

Three tablespoons of thinly sliced fresh ginger, a teaspoon of gentian root, and a strip of lemon peel in 250 ml of high-proof spirit. One tablespoon of dried ginger stands in for the fresh and leans earthier, where the fresh root gives heat and snap. Either version is built for a Moscow Mule or a whiskey highball.

Two tablespoons of celery seed, half the usual gentian, a strip of lemon peel and a few white peppercorns in 250 ml of spirit. The gentian is halved because celery seed brings a savory bitterness of its own. This is the classic savory bitters: a dash rebuilds a Bloody Mary and dries out a gin Martini.

Toast half a cup of walnuts first, then steep them with a spoonful of cacao nibs, a teaspoon of gentian root and a small piece of cinnamon in 250 ml of high-proof spirit for two to three weeks. The toasting is what produces the dark, oily depth; raw nuts give a thin result. Made for the Manhattan and for autumn Old Fashioneds.

Six chopped dried plums, a teaspoon of gentian root, two cloves and a strip of orange peel in 250 ml of spirit. The dried fruit brings a deep stone-fruit sweetness that the gentian keeps honest. Reach for it where a drink wants dark fruit rather than warm spice, which makes it a straight swap for aromatic bitters in a whiskey sour.

Two star anise pods, a small handful of dried cherries, a teaspoon of gentian root and a strip of lemon peel in 250 ml of spirit. Strain as soon as the anise is present without dominating, usually inside two weeks. The profile is the New Orleans one: bright and cherry-anise, lighter than aromatic bitters, and the home approximation of what Peychaud's does in a Sazerac.