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BITTERS
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MAKE YOUR OWN BITTERS
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 Apple Bitters  󰀲
BITTERS HALL OF FAME
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Manhattan  󰀴
OLD󰀭GUARD COCKTAILS
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 Angostura Fizz  󰀶
NEW󰀭LOOK COCKTAILS
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 Autumn Sweater  󰀹The Long Hello  󰀱󰀰Scuppernong Sour  󰀱󰀲
BITTERS IN THE KITCHEN
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Broiled Bitter Grapefruit  󰀱󰀵
BItTERs
REcIPE SAMPLER
 
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 BITTERS
 
TEN SPEED PRESS
 
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MAKE YOUR OWN BITTERS
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TEN SPEED PRESS
 
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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.  Aer 1 week, strain the jar with the liquid and solids through a cheesecloth-lined funnel into a 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 bourbon solution.  Add the rich syrup to the jar and stir to incorporate, then cover and shake to fully dissolve the syrup. Allow the 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 le in the bottles, or if the liquid is cloudy, give the bottle a shake before using. e bitters will last indefinitely, but for optimum flavor use within a year.
Makes about 20 ounces
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Peels from 6 medium to large apples, preferably organic Zest of
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 lemon, cut into strips with a paring knife  2 cinnamon sticks
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 teaspoon allspice berries
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 teaspoon coriander seeds
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 teaspoon cassia chips
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 teaspoon cinchona bark4 cloves 2 cups high-proof bourbon, or more as needed 1 cup water  2 tablespoons rich syrup (page 92)
ere’s no better sign that fall has arrived than a basket of crisp apples on the kitchen counter. Whether you pluck them straight off the tree at an orchard or pick them up from a vendor at the farmers’ market, it’s hard to resist eating them out of hand, but try to save a few for this recipe. e cinnamon and brown sugar echo the flavor of traditional apple pie, but in this recipe you use only the skin of the apples, a tip I picked up from Bobby Heugel at Houston’s Anvil Bar (the peel introduces bitterness and apple flavor without the added sugar and water that would make the solution too sweet). is bitters adds a sweet spiciness to bourbon, rye, whiskey, applejack, or apple brandy, and is also just dandy in an old-fashioned or Manhattan.
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Place all of the ingredients except for the bourbon, water, and rich syrup in a quart-sized Mason jar or other large glass container with a lid. Pour in the 2 cups of bourbon, adding more if 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. Aer 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 any excess liquid and transfer the solids to a small saucepan. Cover the jar and set aside.
 Apple Bitters
 
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 BITTERS
 
TEN SPEED PRESS
 
www.tenspeed.com
Makes 1 drink
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 2 ounces rye or bourbon 1 ounce sweet vermouth 1 dash Angostura or other aromatic bitters 1 dash orange bittersGarnish: amarena or marasca cherry or lemon twist 
Better cocktail historians than I have presented and debunked endless accounts of how the Manhattan came to be, so I won’t waste ink here rehashing those colorful stories (see Gary Regan, William Grimes, and David Wondrich for that). While bourbon has become the de facto spirit in most Manhattans, the classic spirit for this drink is rye (though I would never turn down a bourbon Manhattan). Always stir this drink, never shake it. And a Manhattan isn’t a Manhattan without the bitters. Angostura is the way to go for a classic, but I personally like to split the difference and use one dash of aromatic bitters and one dash of orange. Going all orange tends to ramp up the sweetness without bringing the spice.
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Combine the rye or bourbon, vermouth, and bitters in a mixing glass filled with ice. Stir until chilled and strain into a chilled coupe or cocktail glass. Garnish with the cherry or lemon twist.
Manhattan

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