Bitter truth about hard-to-find bitters
In his article “Bitter Truth About Hard-to-find Bitters,” Gary Regan suggests trying The Bitter Truth Old Time Aromatic or Jerry Thomas’ Own Decanter Bitters if you should happen to run out of Angostura:
“Then there’s The Bitter Truth, a new – to this country, at least – line of German bitters that includes a great bottling called Old Time Aromatic Bitters and another that proudly wears a label proclaiming them to be Jerry Thomas’ Own Decanter Bitters.
The Jerry Thomas bottling is simply divine. When used in a Manhattan, it makes the cocktail jump all over your mouth yelling, ‘I’m over here now,’ then, ‘I moved over to this cheek,’ then ‘Catch me if you can.’ It’s a complex little potion.
I can’t tell you that any of the aforementioned bitters are a substitute for Angostura. There is no substitute for Angostura. These babies are worth taking out for a spin, though, as the Friar Serra Flip will demonstrate.”
Photo by Craig Lee / Special to The Chronicle
Friar Serra Flip
Adapted from a recipe by H. Joseph Ehrmann at Elixir in San Francisco.
- 1 ounce Dry Sack Sherry
- 1 ounce Combier orange liqueur (see Note)
- 3/4 ounce Bols Genever
- 1 egg
- 4 dashes Jerry Thomas’ Own Decanter bitters from The Bitter Truth (see Note)
- Pinch of ground cinnamon
- 1 orange twist, as garnish
Add all ingredients, except garnish, to a cocktail shaker and shake without ice for 10 seconds to emulsify the egg. Add ice, shake again, strain into a small wine goblet, and add the garnish.
Note: Substitute Cointreau or another high-quality triple sec if you can’t get your hands on Combier. Bitter Truth bitters are available from Cask (17 Third St., San Francisco) and other stores.
via Bitter truth about hard-to-find bitters.
