Bill says this recipe, a simplified version of what they do at home, is light on the bittering ingredient. For more bitterness, increase the amount of quassia chips.
Ingredients
- 5 ounces dried Calimyrna figs, quartered
- 12 whole cloves, crushed
- 1 cinnamon stick, broken into thirds
- 10 coriander seeds, crushed
- Zest of 1 large orange
- 1 teaspoon quassia chips
- 205 ml 80-proof brandy
- 100 ml Everclear grain alcohol
Instructions
1. Place all ingredients in a sterilized 1-pint mason jar. Screw cap on and shake daily for 3 to 4 weeks.
2. Filter the mixture two times, reserving the solids and the liquid. (Bill first strains the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer and then strains again through a gold coffee filter. He says a paper coffee filter leaves a bad taste). You should have about 240 ml (1 cup) of fluid.
3. Add 125 ml of water to the solids and place in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and then remove from heat. Steep for 10 minutes to make a tea. Filter the tea through the same two-stage filter, discarding the solids.
4. Add 80 ml of the tea liquid to the reserved bitters liquid. Let sit 7 to 10 days for flavors to blend.
Try with: Winter Manhattan with Figgy Pudding Bitters
Recipe courtesy of AZ Bitters
RESOURCES
FOR HERBS, SPICES AND BITTERING AGENTS:
The San Francisco Herb Company, sfherb.com
Starwest Botanicals, starwest-botanicals.com
FOR ADDITIONAL READING:
Bitters: A Spirited History of a Classic Cure-All, with Cocktails, Recipes and Formulas, Brad Thomas Parsons (Ten Speed Press, 2011)
The Bar-Tender's Guide: How to Mix Drinks, or, The Bon Vivant's Companion (reproduction of the 1862 edition), Jerry Thomas (Mud Puddle Books, 2008)
