Catherine M. Allchin Freelance writer based in Seattle. Food, Travel, Science
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It's rhubarb season: Time to make cocktail bitters

4/12/2016

 
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The Seattle Times - NOTHING SAYS springtime like rhubarb.

When the tall red stalks are in season, I like to savor them in as many ways as possible: pickled, baked in pies, simmered into compote, soaked in a sweet syrup and infused into cocktail bitters.

Aromatic cocktail bitters are made by steeping a combination of bark, roots, herbs, spices or flowers in a neutral high-proof spirit. The highly concentrated elixir is added in dashes to brighten and balance drinks. A few drops can also transform seltzer water.
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At their best, rhubarb bitters taste, of course, tart and grassy like rhubarb, but they also wow the palate with citrus and spice tones. I was searching for a DIY recipe that produced this trifecta of rhubarb, citrus and spice. Some best-selling rhubarb bitters are overly sweet and perfumed due to artificial flavors and glycerin. I was after purity.

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