Cocktails with Orange bitters
Orange bitters is a concentrated cocktail bitters flavored with orange peel, often bitter Seville orange. The base is spices such as cardamom, coriander and caraway.
ABV28–44%Strength varies by brand, and some modern versions are alcohol-free, made with vegetable glycerin. Either way, a few dashes barely affect the drink’s strength.
How it's used
Used as a seasoning, not a base: a dash or two gives a spirit-forward drink citrus lift and light bitterness. It’s the second bottle after Angostura in most bars. It makes a dry Martini or an Old Fashioned read brighter without adding sweetness.
Substitutes for Orange bitters
Twist a strip of peel over the drink: it gives the orange aroma, not the bitterness.
Aromatic bitters
Dash for dash, it keeps the bitterness but brings warm spice instead of citrus, and tints a clear drink.
Without bitters
The drink just tastes plainer.
Storage
This is the bitters that does not keep indefinitely, because the working part is citrus oil and citrus oil oxidizes. A year-old bottle still seasons a drink; it seasons it with something duller and slightly resinous. Buy the small bottle unless the bar goes through orange bitters quickly.
