Homemade

bitters recipes
(with some cocktail ideas)
Hi, friends of cocktails.
Cocktails are a liquid art. Whether it's a nicely balanced timeless
classic, or a signature drink, making them is a form of craftsmanship.
Bitters play a big role in this - they were written in the first definition
of a cocktail, after all. So when I started my mixology career and
quickly realized there weren't many bitters options on the market (at
least not where I live), I decided that I will make my own.
With the help of a couple of great books and a lot of experimenting I
developed recipes that I stick to even now, when it’s easier to get
bitters from a couple of great brands. Of course it's hard to replace
Angostura or Peychaud’s Aromatic bitters, but with great ingredients
and the right recipe you can expand your cocktail repertoire with
many other flavors.
Bitters recipes that are in front of you today have been kept secret
until now. So you are one of the first to see them and hopefully make
them for yourself.
But don't see these recipes as set in stone. Experiment, taste, and
adapt to your palate. You will have a great time in the process.

Cheers!
Kevin Kos
Before we start
In this e-book you will find recipes with affiliate links to the
tools you will need to make these bitters.
I earn a small commission when you buy through these
links, at absolutely no additional costs to you.
Enjoy your new mixology gear and thank you for
supporting Cocktail Time!

Things I use:
01. COCKTAIL BITTERS

Thank you for subscribing to my page. I am happy you have

a passion for cocktails and mixology. I am happy to help
with that so I am giving you two free recipes for my own
Lavender and Grapefruit bitters, with two cocktail recipes
where I used them. Cheers!

Bitters are to cocktails what seasoning is to food. It adds

another layer and can enhance all the flavors in the drink.
You can also use them as a perfume or mist, to spray on
top of the drink, or even use them in cooking. There are no
limits and making your own bitters makes you appreciate
those potent drops even more.

Both recipes yield approximately 355 mL (12 oz) of bitters,

but you can of course scale up the ingredients if you want
to make a bigger batch. Bitters make an excellent gift for
friends.

Now let's enter the incredibly rich and flavorful world of

bitters. It's Cocktail Bitters Time.
Lavender is a really fragrant floral plant and is often used in
the culinary world. It can be also found as herbal filler
inside sachets used to freshen linens. Dried and sealed in
pouches, lavender flowers are placed among stored items
of clothing to give a fresh fragrance and to deter moths.
Dried lavender flowers may be used for wedding confetti.
Lavender is also used in scented waters and sachets.

But here we will make lavender bitters.

For that you will need:

INGREDIENTS:
Flavoring agents:
10 g Lavender dried buds
2 g Persian pink rosebuds

8 g fresh lemon peels

1 g dried lemon peels
1 g dried orange peels
0.2 g vanilla pod
1 g green peppercorns
0.2 g grated nutmeg
0.6 g cardamom
0.5 g liquorice

Bittering agents:
1.5 g wormwood
1 g gentian root

Solvent:
350 mL (12 oz) High-proof vodka (at least 50 ABV) If
you can't find high ABV vodka you can mix

260 mL (8.66 oz) 40% ABV vodka

90 mL (3 oz) Everclear 190

Sugar:
3 mL (0.1 oz) sugar syrup per 60 mL (2 oz) finished
bitters
 02. LAVENDER BITTERS

Mix everything together in one jar, add a label with the

date, alcohol content, and the name of the bitters that
you're making. Leave it at room temperature for 2 weeks
(closed, of course!) and agitate daily.

After 2 weeks, strain out the liquid and cook the solid
ingredients in water for about 5 minutes. Leave it to cool
and use that water to reduce the alcohol content to 45%
ABV. Use the PlanetCalc online calculator for the ratio.

Add 3 mL (0.1 oz) sugar syrup per 60 ml (2 oz) of finished

bitters, mix, and leave to settle for an additional 2 days.
After that, strain through a coffee filter and use your
homemade bitters in style!

Now that you have your DIY Lavender bitters you can use
them in many cocktails. Tom Collins, Negroni, Martini, you
name it! Check out my episode where I use these exact
bitters.

You can download the same bottle labels I use for my bitters here.
Click here to become our Patron to get other Cocktail Time labels.
The grapefruit is a subtropical citrus tree known for its
relatively large, sour to semi-sweet, somewhat bitter fruit.
The interior flesh is segmented and varies in color from
pale yellow to dark pink. Grapefruit, a citrus hybrid
originating in Barbados, is an accidental cross between the
sweet orange and the pomelo. In the past it was referred to
as the pomelo but that term is now the common name for
Citrus maxima.
Pink grapefruits are the ones I used in this recipe but you
can of course experiment with other types of grapefruit.

For grapefruit bitters you will need:

INGREDIENTS:

Flavoring agents:
50 g Grapefruit peels (white pith removed)
15 g dried grapefruit peels
6 cardamom pods
1.4 g coriander
1.2 g green peppercorn
1 g fennel seed

Bittering agents:
2.5 g gentian root

Solvent:
350 mL (12oz) High-proof vodka (at least 50% ABV).
If you can't find high ABV vodka you can mix:
260 mL (8.75 oz) 40% ABV vodka
90 mL (3 oz) Everclear 190

Sugar:
3 mL (0,1 oz) sugar syrup per 60 mL (2 oz) finished
bitters
 03. GRAPEFRUIT BITTERS

Mix everything together in one jar, add a label with the

date, alcohol content, and the name of the bitters that
you're making. Leave it at room temperature for 2 weeks
(closed, of course!) and agitate daily.

After 2 weeks, strain out the liquid into a bowl and cook the
solid ingredients in water for about 5 minutes. Leave it to
cool and use that water to reduce the alcohol content of
the strained alcohol to 45%.
Use the PlanetCalc online calculator for the ratio.

Add 3 mL (0,1 oz) sugar syrup per 60 ml (2 oz) of finished

bitters. Mix to combine and leave to settle for an additional
2 days. After that, strain through a coffee filter and use
your homemade bitters in your next Old Fashioned, Tom
Collins, Martini or check out my episode where I use these
exact same bitters.

You can download the same bottle labels I use for my bitters here.
Click here to become our Patron to get other Cocktail Time labels.
CHECK OUT MY YOUTUBE CHANNEL!
Thank you for subscribing to my newsletter. In this eBook I
showed you two bitters and two cocktail recipes. Find more
recipes and ideas on my YouTube channel.
You can also find me on Instagram (@Kevin_Kos), Facebook
(Cocktail Time with Kevin Kos), Patreon (cocktailtime), and
Discord (become a patron to join).

See you around, Friends of Cocktails! Cheers!