Bitters on the Brain
With the mixology scene delving deeper and deeper into the origins of cocktailing, using this as fodder for both quaffs concocted with the historical accuracy of civil war reenactors, and as a spring board for inspired potable experimentation. Nowhere can this be more evidenced than with the current explosion of bitters behind the bar. These days, along with the top shelf classics, home infusions, and locally sourced garnishes, anyone who touts themselves as “Mixologist” must have an impressive and obscure array of these herbal tinctures, if not a brewed bitter of their very own recipe.
Gina Chersevani of Tabard
By definition, a bitters is an alcoholic beverage that is embued with strong herbal essences, giving it a bitter or bittersweet flavor and generally having about 45-50% alcohol by volume content. Originally imbibed in the 19th Century for medicinal purposes, bitters can come in a myriad of varieties, involving blends of herbs, roots, barks, botanicals and even fruits and vegetables. Before the birth of the real cocktail craze in the 1880’s, anything sited to be a cocktail or “bitter sling” always entailed a combination of liquor, water, sugar and aromatic bitters. The Old Fashioned (perhaps the most classic of cocktails) got its name because it combined those four essential ingredients and nothing else.
Probably the most globally recognized name in bitters, Angostura, is also likely the original brand. Legend has that it was first compounded in Venezuela in 1824, by a German physician as a cure for stomach ailments, and sold to sailors. Today, these most famous bitters are produced in Trinidad and Tobago, but their medicinal properties—in addition to their wonderful cocktail enhancement—are still vastly appreciate by anyone who’s labored at a bar (I remember Sunday brunch shifts, with the whole staff guzzling soda with a dash of bitters to quell hangovers).
In our fine Capital City, saturated in history both dazzling and decadent, it goes without saying that the appreciation of fine libations is implicit in its personality. Though it’s not difficult to come across a joint with a decent old fashioned (I am thrilled to say, five years ago that was a different tune), here’s a short list to sweeten your search of bitters:
The Bar at the Tabard Inn utilizes a small array of specialty bitters including Dandelion & Burdock Bitters on their impressive, historically sourced cocktail menu.
PS7 has an incredibly creative cocktail list, derived from the master mind of Gina Chersevani. High bitter notes come in the form of an ever-evolving roster of homemade concoctions including the likes of chocolate bitters.
Other bars with bitter notes:
Multi-story, multifaceted mixology at its boldest: The Gibson (2009 14th St. NW, 202-232-2156)
Homemade bitters and experimental spirits: Proof (775 G St. NW, 202-737-7663)
The Passenger’s cozy backroom bar of cocktailing creative genius: The Columbia Room (1021 Seventh St. NW, 202-393-0220)
–Guest Blogger Ava (writing from the enthusiastic perspective of barHappy.com)
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