Cocktails with Tonka bitters
Tonka bitters are a high-proof cocktail bitters whose defining aroma is the tonka bean, dosed in dashes.
ABV44%The alcohol is negligible in the drink, since bitters are used only in dashes.
How it's used
Tonka adds vanilla and almond notes together, without adding sugar. Old Fashioneds, flips and dessert drinks show it most clearly.
Substitutes for Tonka bitters
Vanilla bitters and almond extract
A dash of the bitters plus a drop of the extract per dash comes close.
Aromatic bitters
They work dash for dash, but the drink tastes spicier.
Without bitters
Where they are marked optional, they can be left out.
Description
The defining note is the tonka bean — the seed of the South American tree Dipteryx odorata — which is rich in coumarin.
Storage
Coumarin, the compound behind the tonka aroma, is stable and long-lived. Keep the bottle closed and away from heat and it will taste the same for years. Sediment is normal and disperses with a turn of the bottle.
