Bitters

Bitters are a concentrated blend of herbs, roots, bark, spices, or fruit peels steeped in high proof alcohol, producing an intensely flavored liquid that is used in small dashes rather than poured as a regular ingredient. Aromatic bitters, orange bitters, and a growing range of flavored bitters are all common styles found on a home bar shelf.

Because they are used in dashes, just a few drops per drink, bitters work more like a spice than an ingredient, rounding out sweetness, adding depth, or tying together flavors that would otherwise feel flat or one-note. An Old Fashioned or Manhattan without bitters tastes noticeably thinner and less complex than the same drink made with them.

A bottle with a built-in dasher top makes it much easier to control the amount added compared to pouring straight from an unmodified bottle. Bitters keep for a long time thanks to their high alcohol content, so a small home collection does not need to be replaced often. A common mistake beginners make is skipping bitters entirely because the bottle looks intimidating, when in most classic recipes they are only a few drops.