At the Zia Liquors website, we’ve taught you the basics of what you need for your home bar; the Glassware You Need, and the 7 Key Cocktails To Make. When looking at the ingredient list of those seven drinks, four of them call for bitters to be included.
But what are bitters, and why is the ingredient so crucial in cocktails?
Most bitters contain water and alcohol, along with a mixture of various botanicals, including roots, herbs, fruit, bark, and more. Adding a few drops or dashes of bitters to a cocktail enhances the overall flavor of the beverage. But don’t think bitters are only for your spirits, bitters can be used to enhance still or sparkling water, juice, or tea, and can be infused into baked goods, soups, and sauces too.
There are various cocktail bitters to choose from, but at Zia Liquors, we love the quality and selection of Bennett Bitters. Bennett Bitters has been around since 2018, brewing up a variety of bitters that tell their own stories.
The Bermuda Bitters is perfect for tropical drinks like daiquiris and Mai Tais that remind you of blissful island getaways. The Wild Hunt Bitters will bring the essence of an enchanted forest to your Moscow Mules and Gimlets. The Exorcism Bitters is the perfect addition to your traditional Manhattans and Negronis, adding the flavor of stone fruit, molasses, and exotic pepper. What else do you expect from bitters inspired by the rituals of medieval exorcisms? Finally, the last bitters in Bennett’s lineup is the most daring. Bennett Scorpion Bitters is inspired by our home, the Southwest, and includes the spicy flavor of our heritage.
Get your Bennett Bitters now from Zia Liquors and try your hand at one of these delicious recipes from Bennett Bitters below.
The Poseidon
The Poseidon is a variation of a Gin Fizz, with blue algae powder giving it a beautiful ocean blue hue. This cocktail uses tropical, organic Bermuda bitters.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 Egg White
- .75 oz Vanilla infused Simple Syrup
- .75 oz Lemon Juice
- .5 tsp E3 Live Blue Majik
- 1.5 oz Gin
- 2 Droppers Bermuda Bitters
- Soda Water
INSTRUCTIONS
Add all the ingredients to a shaker except the soda water. Add one ice cube to the mix then shake until well mixed and the ice cube has melted. Add more ice cubes to the shaker and shake again to chill, strain the mixture into a Collins glass then add soda water slowly. Add soda water slowly to help raise the foam.
The Birth of Venus
This peppery, aromatic cocktail uses the unique and complex Exorcism Bitters
INGREDIENTS
- 1.5 oz Gin
- 1 oz. Fresh Lime Juice
- .75 oz Strawberry Lemonade Syrup
- 2 drops Exorcism Bitters
INSTRUCTIONS
Combine ingredients in a shaker with ice. Strain into a chilled coup glass and garnish with a rose (or another flower)
The Worm Moon
A celebration of the coming spring in a cocktail, using woody, floral Wild Hunt Bitters.
INGREDIENTS
- 1.5 oz Gin
- .5 oz Peach Liqueur
- .75 oz Lemon Juice
- .5 oz 1:1 Honey Syrup
- 1 Egg White
- 4 drops of Orange Flower Water
- 2 droppers Wild Hunt Bitters
INSTRUCTIONS
Combine ingredients in a shaker with ice. Strain into a chilled coup glass and garnish with a dried hibiscus flower (or another flower)
The Witch Hat
This spooky, spicy cocktail blends together the heat of Scorpions Bitters with the peppery flavor of Exorcism Bitters.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 oz Rye
- .5 oz Vanilla infused Simple Syrup
- .25 oz Cointreau
- .75 oz Lemon Juice
- 2 oz Apricot Juice
- 2 Droppers Exorcism Bitters
- 5 Drops Scorpion Bitters
INSTRUCTIONS
Add all ingredients to a shaker, fill with ice, and shake to chill. Strain into a rocks glass with ice. Hold a match under an orange peel and squeeze the peel to spritz a small fireball of orange oil over the drink. Garnish with orange peel.