Bitters…
I love bitters in a drink, and so, was thrilled when a friend gifted my household with Brad Thomas Parson’s book all about bitters. I suggest going out and getting a copy as it is chock full of interesting history lessons and wonderful recipes. Here’s one of my favorites…
Meyer Lemon Bitters
- Zest of 4 Meyer Lemons, cut into strips with a paring knife
- Zest of 1 lemon, cut into strips with a paring knife
- 2 tablespoons chopped dried lemon peel
- 6 green cardamom pods, cracked
- 1/4 teaspoon coriander seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon gentian root
- 1/4 teaspoon dried hops
- 1/4 teaspoon white peppercorns
- 1 lemongrass stalk chopped
- 2 cups high-proof vodka, or as much as needed
- 1 cup water
- 2 tablespoons rich syrup(simple syrup made with turbinado sugar)
Place all of the ingredients except for the vodka, water, and rich syrup in a quart-sized mason jar. Pour in the 2 cups of vodka, adding more in necessary so that all the ingredients are covered. Seal the jar and store at room temperature out of direct sunlight for 2 weeks, shaking the jar once a day.
After 2 weeks, strain the liquid through a cheesecloth-lined funnel into a clean quart-sized jar to remove the solids. Repeat until all of the sediment has been filtered out. Squeeze the cheesecloth over the jar to release excess liquid and transfer solids to a small saucepan. Cover the jar and set aside.
Cover the solids in the saucepan with the water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cover the saucepan, lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
Remove the saucepan from the heat and let cool completely. Once cooled, add the contents of the saucepan (both liquid and solids) to another quart-sized mason jar. Cover the jar and store at room temperature out of direct sunlight for 1 week, shaking the jar daily.
After 1 week, strain the jar with the liquid and solids through a cheesecloth lined funnel into clean quart-sized mason jar. Repeat until all of the sediment has been filtered out. Discard the solids. Add this liquid to the jar containing the original vodka solution.
Add the rich syrup to the solution and stir to incorporate, then cover the jar and give a shake to fully dissolve.
Allow the bitters mixture to stand at room temperature for 3 days. At the end of the 3 days, skim off any debris that floats to the surface and pour the mixture through a cheesecloth-lined funnel one last time to remove any solids.
Using a funnel, decant the bitters into smaller jars and label. If there’s any sediment left in the bottles, or if the liquid is cloudy, give the bottle a shake before using. The bitters will last indefinitely, but are best within a year.