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It is true that there are a good number of cocktails that you can make where the ingredients are simply alcohol or maybe a mixer such as lemonade. But if you want to expand your repertoire and try more complex drinks, then you will quickly run into bitters and cordials. But what are these ingredients and why do you need them for cocktails?
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What are bitters?
Let’s start with bitters as these are a little more specialist than cordials. No, they aren’t the people who are sad they didn’t like the cocktail. They are small bottles containing flavouring agents that originally had medicinal uses but are mostly now associated with cocktails.
Bitters are made from a neutral spirit that is infused with ingredients that can range from spices and fruits to seeds, roots and even tree bark. They were given all kinds of fantastic (and fantasy) medicinal abilities but eventually took up their rightful place in the alcohol cupboard.
Types of bitters
There are lots of types of bitters, some of which feature mostly as an ingredient in cocktails while others stand up as a drink in their own right, neat or with ice. A few classic, well-known examples are made specifically for cocktails.
Aperol
Aperol is an Italian bitter made with gentian, rhubarb and other ingredients that is a bright reddish-orange colour and is a popular summer drink. It was originally made by the Campari group but is less bitter in taste and lower in alcohol content than Campari.
Campari
Campari is another well-known Italian bitter that is classed as an aperitif and is made with herbs and fruit, alcohol and water. It has a deep red colour and is popular in cocktails such as the Negroni, the garibaldi and the Americano.
Jägermeister
Jägermeister is a German digestif bitter than uses over 50 different herbs and spices. Here in the UK it has become a popular drink that is recognisable in its green bottle. A shot of the drink in a small glass dropped into a larger glass of Red Bull energy drink is known as a Jagerbomb.
Other examples from around the world include:
- Alomo bitters (Nigeria, Ghana)
- Amaro Averna (Italy)
- Araucano (Chile)
- Balsam (eastern Europe)
- Beerenburg (Netherlands)
- Blutwurz (Bavaria)
- Calisaya (USA)
- Gammel Dansk (Denmark)
- Gran Classico Bitter (Switzerland)
- Quinquina (France via South America)
- St Vitus (Germany)
- Tubi 60 (Israel)
- Unicum (Hungary)
Cocktail bitters
As well as bitters, there are also cocktail bitters which are made specifically to use in cocktails. These are typically added by drops or dashes into a drink and aren’t drank as a normal drink with ice or a mixer. Often, they are non-alcoholic. Three of the most famous are:
- Angostura Bitters – originally made in the 1830s in Venezuela, it is now made in Trinidad and Tobago and is notable with its oversized label and yellow bottle lid. It is used to make pink gin cocktails, Old Fashioned cocktails, Manhattans and others.
- Boker’s Bitters – often misnamed Bogart’s Bitters
- Peychaud’s Bitters – originally from New Orleans but now made in Kentucky. It has an anise aroma with mint flavours and is best known for the Sazerac cocktail.
What are cordials?
Cordials are another category of drinks that can be used in cocktails but often feature in the soft drinks’ aisle in the supermarket.
Some cordials are used to describe sweeter, distilled spirits such as chocolate liqueurs or cream spirits like Baileys. But for most people, cordials are a non-alcoholic drink that has a thicker, almost syrup-like consistency. Two of the most famous are lime cordial and elderflower cordial.
Cordials are often used to add flavour to drinks. It can be substituted if something like lime juice isn’t available but will be a bit sweeter than the original. Some cocktails call for it specifically like the Hurricane which uses lime juice and lime cordial with orange juice, white and gold rum and passion fruit syrup.
Do you need bitters and cordials for cocktails?
No, you don’t need them because there are tons of cocktail recipes out there that don’t use them. However, it can be a handy and budget friendly way to expand the repertoire of drinks you can make by stocking them. So why not give them a try?
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