evo-lution

London Dry gin is a style of gin that is governed by strict laws and has a primary flavour of juniper. Some questions here: 1. What are the British laws governing what can be called a London dry gin? There are no such laws in effect in the United States. We have our own regulations in the United States, by the way. 27 C.F.R. § 5.22c says: " 'Gin' is a product obtained by original distillation from mash, or by redistillation of distilled spirits, or by mixing neutral spirits, with or over juniper berries and other aromatics, or with or over extracts derived from infusions, percolations, or maceration of such materials, and includes mixtures of gin and neutral spirits. It shall derive its main characteristic flavor from juniper berries and be bottled at not less than 80° proof. Gin produced exclusively by original distillation or by redistillation may be further designated as 'distilled.' 'Dry gin' (London dry gin), 'Geneva gin' (Hollands gin), and 'Old Tom gin' (Tom gin) are types of gin known under such designations." (Emphasis added.) 2. What is any example of gin in any style from, say, before 1980, that did not have a primary flavoring of juniper? 3. Can you find any history or historical definition of "gin" that does not say that it is a juniper-flavored spirit or that it derives its predominate flavor from juniper berries or some such similar language? 4. What would you say are the defining characteristics of gin? You've yet to answer the questions I posed to you, or address the points I brought up, so I've no idea why you are asking me these questions? I am happy to answer them, but the reason they have been posed is to suit your agenda. Personally speaking, I wouldn't be massively opinionated on a subject if I didn't fully understand it. In this case, you don't seem to know what exactly defines 'London Dry gin'. And to talk about the history of gin and then bring US regulations into it. There is a mighty flaw in your logic there...

How you interpret my tone is completely up to you, I asked Erik a question to which you replied; Hence my reply. Taste is subjective, who is it that decides whether something is inferior/superior? I cannot speak for any of these inexperienced people and what they claim they are trying to do, but if they haven't a clue what they are doing and don't understand the industry then I obviously take exception. But, and I guess this is the stance they would take, what's the difference between them and an enthusiast/blogger who has an opinion on a specific subject that they have no experience of being in? You have to start somewhere. Your drift was caught long ago. You've just pointed out costings to suit your point, relatively weak they are as well. That's just business, there are always stand-outs, it's the consumer who ultimately decides. If you don't like it, don't buy it. If you think a product could be improved, tell the producer. Don't just write if off straight away unless they repeatedly make the same mistake. Of course it makes sense. Rangpur - The point is that it's a gin that's not juniper-led. Malacca - I agree the juniper is there but it is very, very subdued (I am also in a position to know this having tried it and also being in possession of it). It was released at the beginning of the recent surge. Tanqueray 10 - There's a reason it doesn't say 'London Dry' on the bottle, because it isn't one. I must point out that I have nothing against Tanqueray, I love their products, I merely used it as an example of a large producer making products that aren't 'London Dry' that aren't being shouted down. And it has nothing to do with knowing the traditions, the point I am trying to make is that they are no different. Going a bit off-track here as Bombay Sapphire is widely acknowledged for revitalising the category which was in no fit shape prior to the release of Sapphire. The recent influx of gins has been in the last decade. I agree that Bombay Dry is superior to Bombay Sapphire, in my opinion anyway. Are you being paid to say the word gin as many times as you can? The problem shouldn't be about them being called gin, the problem is the designation. London Dry gin is a style of gin that is governed by strict laws and has a primary flavour of juniper. Which is decided by who?

I don't get what the problem is? If you don't like the bottlings being churned out by micro-distilleries because they're not as good as Tanqueray, don't buy them. I mean, if you're comparing every micro-distillery's gin to Tanqueray then you're looking for a particular style of gin (juniper-heavy) so you should only really compare those that are claiming to be juniper-led. Regarding the price 'issue' the overheads of micros will be significantly higher compared to the likes of Tanqueray, et al which goes a long way to explaining the price difference. The large corporates also churn out ridiculous amounts of pap giving them a tremendous advantage in the monetary stakes. As for this current issue regarding new-world gins not being juniper led, wasn't it Tanqueray who started the craze with Malacca and Rangpur? And their own Tanqueray 10 isn't even a London Dry, yet I don't hear anyone shouting them down...

If they're genuinely growing biodynamic produce and making their own artisanal products, I see no problem with the statement; "The urban oasis will help Vogler offer cocktails composed completely of artisanal and, when possible, biodynamic ingredients." Interested to find out more to be honest...

I don't really get this point? Are you talking about 'new-world' gins versus London dry?

I was given a bottle of Darnley's View gin (http://darnleysview.com/) this week to review on my blog. I've not written it up yet but intend to on the 23rd July. It's a relatively new London Dry (from Scotland), with predominant juniper and coriander balanced against layers of citrus and elderflower. A very interesting gin...

I recently wrote an article* for MUDL (www.mudlmag.com) in South Africa which was essentially an overview and insight into the history of bitters. This also forms part of a larger document that I am working on at the moment and is the basis for the bitters training program I intend on rolling out in the UK in the coming weeks, which will then be followed in various countries around the World. *Downloadable here - http://www.scribd.com/doc/33785314/Dr-Adam-Elmegirab-s-Article-1-A-Bitter-Sweet-Symphony

http://imbibe.com/blogs/a-new-york-bartender/2010-05/ninja-cocktails

Jefferson's Green Created by Mike Sharples for Harvey Nichol's in Edinburgh. 5 Large mint leaves 50ml Jeffersons Bourbon 25ml Green tea 5ml Sugar syrup 10ml Green Chartreuse 4 Dashes Dr. Adam Elmegirab's Dandelion & Burdock Bitters Method: Add all ingredients to mixing glass, fill with cubed ice and shake hard for 10 seconds. Fine strain. Glass: Chilled cocktail Garnish: N/A Ice: N/A Rowan's Blush Created by Mike Sharples for Harvey Nichol's in Edinburgh 40ml Caorunn Gin 20ml Fresh pressed apple juice 20ml Chamomile Tea 20ml Freshly squeezed lemon juice 10ml Sugar syrup 2 Dashes Dr. Adam Elmegirab's Dandelion & Burdock bitters Method: Add all ingredients to mixing glass, fill with cubed ice and shake hard for 10 seconds. Glass: Chilled cocktail Garnish: N/A Ice: N/A Adam's Apple Created by Ben Iravani at Orchid Aberdeen 50ml Elements 8 Platinum 12.5ml Monin Apple 4 Dashes Dr. Adam Elmegirab's Dandelion & Burdock Bitters Method: Add all ingredients to mixing glass, fill with cubed ice and stir for 15-20 seconds. Julep strain. Glass: Rocks/Old Fashioned Garnish: Lemon zest Ice: Cubed

I didn't even know what you were talking about until I googled it. I'm 28 by the way!

Thought I'd share some drinks recipes that contain my new Dandelion & Burdock Bitters as I know some users here have got their hands on them; Usuki Old Fashioned Created by Adam Elmegirab for Yatai spring cocktail menu – March 2010 50ml Genever 12.5ml Sugar syrup 4 Dashes Dr. Adam Elmegirab’s Dandelion & Burdock Bitters Method: Add all ingredients to mixing glass fill with cubed ice and stir for fifteen-twenty seconds. Julep strain Glass: Rocks/Old Fashioned Garnish: Lemon zest Ice: Cubed Chiapas Old Fashioned Created by Adam Elmegirab for Yatai winter cocktail menu – November 2009 50ml Patron Silver tequila 12.5ml Green tea infused sugar syrup 2 Dashes Dr. Adam Elmegirab’s Dandelion & Burdock Bitters 1 Dash Regan’s Orange Bitters #6 Method: Add all ingredients to mixing glass fill with cubed ice and stir for fifteen-twenty seconds. Julep strain Glass: Rocks / Old Fashioned Garnish: Grapefruit zest Ice: Large double frozen ice cube Lion’s Tooth Created for Dr. Adam Elmegirab’s Dandelion & Burdock Bitters – April 2010 50ml Herradura Reposado 12.5ml Licor 43 25ml Fresh squeezed lemon juice 1 Fresh egg white 4 Dashes Dr. Adam Elmegirab’s Dandelion & Burdock Bitters 1 Heaped barspoon caster sugar Method: Dissolve sugar in lemon juice; add all remaining ingredients and dry shake for 5 seconds. Fill with cubed ice then shake hard for a further 10 seconds and fine strain. Glass: Rocks/Old Fashioned Garnish: Star anise Ice: Cubed The Grove Created for Dr. Adam Elmegirab’s Dandelion & Burdock Bitters – May 2010 50ml Zubrowka 10ml Licor 43 37.5ml Fresh pressed apple juice 12.5ml Fresh squeezed lemon juice 4 Dashes Dr. Adam Elmegirab’s Dandelion & Burdock Bitters 12.5ml Sugar Syrup (2-1) Method: Add all ingredients to mixing glass fill with cubed ice and shake hard for ten seconds. Fine strain Glass: Chilled coupette or cocktail Garnish: N/A Ice: N/A Highland Picnic Created for Caorunn Gin by Brand Ambassador Ervin Trykowski 25ml Caorunn Gin 25ml Lillet Rouge, 12.5ml Freshly squeezed lemon juice 25ml Fresh pressed apple juice 3 Dashes Dr. Adam Elmegirab's Dandelion & Burdock Bitters Top with lemonade Method: Build over cubed ice and stir Glass: Collins/Highball Garnish: Apple slices, seasonal berries and other various fresh fruit and herbs Ice: Cubed Dandelion Martinez Variant on the classic Martinez by Caorunn Gin Brand Ambassador Ervin Trykowski - May 2009 40ml Caorunn Gin 20ml Antica Formula 3 Dashes Dr. Adam Elmegirab's Dandelion & Burdock Bitters 2 Dashes Luxardo Maraschino Method: Add all ingredients to mixing glass fill with cubed ice and stir for fifteen-twenty seconds. Julep strain Glass: Chilled cocktail Garnish: Orange zest Ice: N/A Cachaca Martinez Variant on the classic Martinez by Adam Elmegirab - May 2009 60ml Sagatiba Velha 15ml Noilly Dry 15ml Noilly Rouge 4 Dashes Dr. Adam Elmegirab's Dandelion & Burdock Bitters 2 Dashes Luxardo Maraschino Method: Add all ingredients to mixing glass fill with cubed ice and stir for fifteen-twenty seconds. Julep strain Glass: Chilled cocktail Garnish: Lemon zest Ice: N/A

Adjusted recipe to have 15ml of orange or rose flower water, not 25ml. Apologies.

Eek, it's meant to say 15ml. Anyway, I can't remember it off the top of my head, it's middle-eastern though so not as heavily flavoured as the western stuff I've found. I found some recipes that I used as a base (in which to build on) and the majority of them had a (minimum) couple of tablespoons of rose/orange flower water, which is even more than I have in my recipe.

Here's three scotch whisky drinks that you may be interested in, all very different using different scotches; Grand Albannach Grand Marnier BOTY drink November 2006 37.5ml Auchentoshan 10 year old 12.5ml Grand Marnier Cordon Rouge 2-3 dashes Regan’s Orange Bitters No: 6 15ml Fresh Lemon Juice 15ml French Sunflower Honey Syrup * 2 bar-spoons Mixed Berry Marinade ** Method: Shake all ingredients with cubed ice and double strain Glass: Rocks Garnish: Assorted berries Ice: Cubed * 2 parts honey to 1 part boiling water ** 5 blackberries, 5 strawberries (quartered), 5 raspberries and 10 blueberries marinated in 25ml Auchentoshan 10 year, 25ml Grand Marnier and sugar (to taste). Spiced Whisky Smash Created for Mim cocktail menu – July 2008 50ml Glenmorangie Original 6 Wedges of orange 2 Barspoons honey 1 Barspoon of diced de-seeded red chilli Method: Muddle orange, honey and chilli in bottom of glass then add whisky. Fill with crushed ice and churn. Glass: Rocks/Old Fashioned Garnish: None Ice: Crushed Fosbury Flip Drambuie UK Cocktail Competition January 2010 1 Barspoon caraway seeds 50ml Drambuie 25ml Bacardi 8 year old 1 Whole egg (preferably free range) 2 Dashes Bittermens Xocolatl Mole Bitters 5ml Sugar syrup Grind Hawaiian red lava salt Grind black pepper Method: Muddle caraway seeds in base of mixing glass, add liquor and steep for 2 minutes. Add all other ingredients and dry shake for 5 seconds. Fill with ice and shake for a further 10 seconds. Fine strain. Glass: Goblet Garnish: Fresh grated nutmeg Ice: None

Here's the orgeat syrup that I make regularly for the bars I work with. Dr Adam Elmegirab's Roasted Almond Orgeat Makes approximately 700-750ml bottle of orgeat syrup; ----- 250g Sliced almonds (no skin) 400ml Water 350g Caster sugar (unrefined preferably) 25ml Brandy/Cognac 25ml Grand Marnier 25ml Orange or rose flower water (optional) Pre-heat oven to 190C/375F/Gas Mark 5. Add almonds to roasting tin, place in middle of oven for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Do not grease the tin or add any oil. Remove almonds, and allow too cool. Once cooled, place the almonds in a bowl and cover with cold water. Allow to soak for 30 minutes. Drain and discard the water then use a blender or food processor to chop the almonds to a fine grind. If you need to assist the chopping process, add a little water to the food processor. Transfer the crushed almonds to a large bowl and mix them with 400ml fresh mineral water and let stand for two hours. Place a damp cloth, cheese cloth or muslin cloth over another bowl, and strain the almond and water mixture. Squeeze the cloth to extract all the liquid. Put the chopped almonds back into the almond water, let stand for another hour and then strain again. Repeat a third time if you wish. This will get all the oils/milk/flavour out of the almonds. Discard the almond pulp, then pour the strained liquid into a saucepan, add the sugar and simmer over a gentle heat, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat when the sugar is completely dissolved. Allow to cool for fifteen minutes and then add the brandy and the orange flower or rose water. Once cooled, shake well then transfer the orgeat into a clean glass bottle and refrigerate. ----- Tips; - Use sliced almonds in the first soak, then crush in a food processor. - As an alternative to roasting, you can dry fry ensuring you do not burn almonds. - Before straining ensure you moisten the muslin cloth. I recommend moistening with the liquid you are about to filter. - Do not allow orgeat syrup to boil, dissolve sugar over a low to medium heat. - Adding a small piece of vanilla pod to the saucepan adds to the complexity. - The addition of orange or rose flower water is optional but recommended. - Shake well before use as the syrup may separate.

Thought I'd share this with you folks, beats any of the pre-bottled stuff I've tried. Dr. Adam Elmegirab's Falernum Makes approximately 650-700ml falernum; ----- 200ml Wray & Nephew Overproof (or alternative white overproof rum - 63%ABV) 50ml Havana Club Especial (or alternative aged rum - 40%ABV) Zest of 10 medium-sized limes (no pith) 40 Whole cloves (fresh) 90 grams fresh ginger (peeled and sliced thinly - julienne style) 25g Sliced almonds (lightly toast by dry-frying) 8 Whole black peppercorns (crushed) 2 Whole star anise (crushed) 1 Teaspoon spice mix (equal parts ground nutmeg, ground cinnamon and ground allspice) 1/4 Vanilla pod (scored) Combine all ingredients in a jar, seal, then macerate for 24 hours. Strain through moistened muslin cloth, ensuring you squeeze the solids to extract all liquid. Strain again through coffee filter paper to extract all sediment. Once clarity has been obtained, add; 50ml Dr Adam Elmegirab's Roasted Almond Orgeat 350ml Sugar syrup (two parts unrefined sugar dissolved in one part water without heating) Shake everything together and bottle in clean glass bottles (700ml maximum). ----- Tips; - Do not macerate in anything under 50%ABV (100 proof) or over 75%ABV (150proof). - Remove lime zest with a grater. I recommend using a wasabi/ginger grater. - Use fresh products in every possible instance. - Use a potato peeler to quickly peel ginger. - Crush/grind all spices using a pestle & mortar prior to maceration. - Before straining ensure you moisten both the muslin cloth and filter paper. I recommend moistening with the liquid you are about to filter. - Do not use heated sugar syrup. - Do not add fresh lime juice. - If using used bottles allow to soak in soapy water and then boiling water to avoid contamination.

I recently won the Drambuie UK Cocktail Competition and the following drink was my twist on a Rusty Nail which we had to create for the comp (alongside an original Drambuie cocktail); B.F.G 40ml Drambuie 25ml Noilly Prat Rouge 10ml Laphroaig 10 year old 2 Dashes Dr. Adam Elmegirab's Boker's Bitters Method: Add all ingredients to mixing glass, fill with cubed ice and stir for 15-20 seconds. Glass: Two small cocktail glasses Garnish: Fresh lemon zest Ice: N/A The B.F.G called upon the cardamom within Drambuie which was enhanced using my recreated Boker's Bitters, also offering orange peel, dark chocolate, and bitter coffee. Noilly Rouge was used for its fruitiness, spiciness and herbal notes whilst the whisky I chose to use had to be packed full of flavour to stand up to all of this so I could look no further than Laphroaig 10 year old for its hints of salt, seaweed, iodine, peat and citrus. The drink was finished with lemon zest which gave a fresh lift to the drink that I served between two in miniature cocktail glasses. A relatively simple drink which stays true to the Rusty Nail we recognise today whilst also paying homage to its predecessor the B.I.F, the classic Rob Roy, as well as the the Cock-tail which dates back to the 1700s at around the same time when the Drambuie story began... For those that are interested, my original drink was as follows; Fosbury Flip 1 Barspoon Caraway seeds 50ml Drambuie 25ml Bacardi 8 year old 1 whole egg, preferably free range. 2 Dashes Bittermens Xocolatl Mole Bitters 5ml Sugar syrup Grind Hawaiian red lava salt Grind black pepper Method: Muddle caraway seeds in base of mixing glass, add liquor and steep for 2 minutes. Add all other ingredients and dry shake for 5 seconds. Fill with ice and shake for a further 10 seconds. Fine strain. Glass: Goblet Garnish: Fresh grated nutmeg Ice: None The Fosbury Flip added the fantastic flavours of anise, nut and orange peel found within caraway seeds which complimented Drambuie. To this I added Bacardi 8 which brings toffee, roasted nut, vanilla, citrus zest and dried apricot. To lengthen the finish I chose to use Bittermen's Xocolatl Mole Bitters for its notes of bitter chocolate and cinnamon. On top of that I added a grind of both black pepper and Hawaiian red lava salt which offers more spice, citrus and also a sweet mineral flavour. A dash of sugar syrup and a whole egg smoothed out all these flavours, before finishing with a dusting of fresh grated nutmeg which opened up the nose before the layers of flavour which were to follow.

Ago Perrone's Mulata Daisy, is one of the best new drinks I've tried in recent years and one of the top sellers at Yatai on our winter menu. A Mulata Daiquiri is also a good shout for a chocolate based cocktail, fantastic drink in my opinion. Meant to add, I personally don't see these as sweet drinks, no sweeter than say a well made Daiquiri, but they can be tweaked slightly to suit the person buying the drink. but shouldn't every cocktail?

Although it was a good thing in my opinion as it increased bartender creativity and created interest in new products from both bartenders and enthusiasts alike in bars/places that only typically had one or two bitters on offer.

I've come into possession of a good few bottles but it seems that there's still a number of areas without bottlings?!?

$40 is about £25 right? I'd say it's definitely worth that, I really like the stuff, not as bold as regular Beefeater but it compensates with flavour elsewhere. I'd say it has a more complex citrus top-note (Beefeater for me is all about the orange, whereas the 24 has grapefruit, lemon and orange) , with a nice balance of juniper, and tea evident on the finish. The fact that they use Japanese sencha and Chinese green tea means that there is no astrigency which you will get from some teas. A gin for the vodka masses? Not at all. And I'm not necessarily sure that I agree that some new generation gins are doing this. If anything, they're giving more diversity to the category and allowing people to try gin away from just a regular G&T with lime. From my experience, those that claim they don't like gin in actual fact don't like the taste of tonic. From a bartending perspective, these newer gins give me the opportunity to bridge the gap between neutral vodka and a juniper heavy gin like Tanqueray for those who think they don't like gin. Just the other day in fact, my fellow bartender was asked what he could make with a flavoured vodka. He made a Hachimitsu (one of my drinks on the menu at Yatai*, Martin Miller's, fresh orange, fresh lemon, honey syrup). The guest loved it. And is now a gin drinker. Job done. *goes to start another thread

If there's a good antique dealer in your area, that's the person to talk to.

It is by law (PGI) classified as a Plymouth Gin and which has a different flavour profile from your typical London Dry gins in the way that it is not as dry and tends to be slightly softer.

Hence why I said this; "You also have to bare in mind the various production techniques that are used in compounding these bitters as I already touched on in the 'All About Bitters' thread." As far as I'm aware TBT do not distil their bitters, do not add glycerine, and are not trying to replicate the flavour of Angostura Aromatic so I can't really see the point in the comparison? And what if your desire is to have the flavour of the TBT bitters and not Angostura? Two pinches of salt won't have the same amount of flavour as a pinch of black pepper but each have their place. I agree with this but still disagree with your point re: the TBT Celery bitters as I think there's a predominant celery flavour mixed in with the added spice/citrus element. Of course we all have different tastes though. As far as I'm aware they are an approximation of an old-school celery bitters which goes some way to explain the flavour profile they've captured. I'm not sure where this whole 'must-have' thing cropped up? I haven't seen or heard of any bars closing down in the last few months when they've been out of Angostura Aromatic so maybe it's not the must-have we all think it is? If anything their financial problems have enabled bartenders (talking about my own personal experiences here) to talk to guests about the various bitters on offer and open their eyes to what's available. The point is that bartenders/enthusiasts now have a variety to choose from other Angostura Aromatic which is all we can ask for. Informed choices can be made based on personal preferences and we're not left with one option. Current bar trends dictate that the choice of Angostura Aromatic, Peychaud's and an orange bitters isn't enough. Pepper was a bad analogy from your standpoint, as various peppers serve various purposes. It backs up the point I'm trying to put across. No chef of any standing would just use one type of pepper. I hazard to guess that most homes only have black pepper though. And that most hate the little black specks they get in their Macaroni Cheese. If only they knew the use for white pepper... As for the ketchup analogy, I see what your trying to say but it's easy to pick holes in that. Ultimately the reason that most go with Heinz is that it's a safe choice, a consistent product always available at a decent price that's not going to let you down. But the brutal truth is that it's probably the only ketchup most have had the opportunity to try, bar the cheap vinegary stuff you get in many roadside cafes and the like. However there are those out there that have had the opportunity to try various ketchups and have found their own particular favourite, for example Stokes Real Tomato Ketchup. They still buy Heinz though as it has its place. I don't understand the point your raising here. What relevance does this have? You're probably right in assuming that if people only had one choice they'd go with Angostura Aromatic but the fact is they don't have one choice, they've got dozens, and there's a number that are becoming essential all over the globe. As mentioned earlier, I know of a number of bars that have taken Angostura Aromatic out of some of their cocktails (Martinez, Manhattan, Crusta, Japanese, etc.) and replaced it with my Boker's repro. These same bars have snapped up dozens of bottlings to ensure they don't run out. I'd say that's an essential. And I can give you a list of names of people who have reordered bottlings as they can't get enough of the stuff. Do you have this same view when it comes to other categories? Gin? Rum? Genever? Whisky? Rye? Beer? There may be one stand out but that's not to say there's no place for the rest. I'm not so sure this is entirely correct, as I have an inkling that the first tier (as you call them) may become less and less a necessity on menus as bars strive for that point of difference and cocktail culture continues to develop. As I touched on already, the Angostura shortage has not been bad for the industry, if anything it's been a good thing. They'll always be there, don't get me wrong, but their dependency may wane a little. Regarding your point in bold, I have in front of me a bottle of replicated Angostura Bitters. Based on a recipe that was dug up from the 1800s. Made by my own fair hands. It's not quite exactly the same as Angostura Aromatic, but it's not far off. What I'm saying is that there's no reason why anyone can't replicate an Angostura Aromatic should they wish. The advantage being you can tailor it to pair with your spirit offering. However, many bars don't have the time/resources/money to try and replicate various bitters hence why there is demand for people to supply various bottlings to them. On the opposite hand many enthusiasts do have the time/money/resources to make their own formulation but there's not enough of these to put a serious dent in the market. For every person making bitters, there's ten thousand buying bottles. In the same vein that for every home-chef that makes their own pesto, there's ten thousand buying Sacla's pesto... I don't think that anyone mentioned being a must-have in this topic other than you. Kent is looking for recommendations away from the obvious. Again I don't see your point regarding whether you'd choose between my Boker's or Angostura, as they're both very different, with differing purposes, with their own historical standing. They each work better in different drinks and are not comparative in any way bar the fact they are both cocktail bitters. For some my bitters are already an essential, in the same way that Angostura has been for the last few decades. Likewise the TBT Celery is a necessity in some bars. As is Regan's Orange #6. And so on. Some bitters may not be a necessity to you, but they are for others. Lest we forget that Angostura only became an essential over other brands because of the farcical, nonsensical, s***e that was prohibition. Maybe the tides are turning...

Agree with the comment re: gin, I've found they work exceptionally well with all styles of gin, particularly genever, and have also had a lot of joy with tequila, brandy (Crusta for sure) and rum. However, I'm not sure I agree that they don't work as well with rye or bourbon as I've had some fantastic results with a variety of drinks calling for these and I've also had dozens of positive comments from a wide variety of people as well as some really good recipes forwarded that include rye or bourbon. In saying that it is worth considering that the botanicals in the Boker's may not pair so well with something as spicy as rye whiskey which would probably benefit from something like Angostura Aromatic, TBT Aromatic, Regan's Orange #6 or the Bittermen's Mole. Agree with these recommendations as I mentioned to Kent the other day, I also highly recommend the TBT celery. Ultimately my advice would be to think about the drinks/spirits you regularly enjoy and make your choice based on that, unless you have unlimited funds in which case snap them all up. Going back to my earlier point re: pairing rye with a spiced bitters, this is part of the fun and luxury we have now with the many bitters around. Just a few; my Boker's with Genever, TBT Celery with London Dry Gin, Bittermen's Mole with Campari, Regan's Orange #6 with aged rum... I'd also like to add to that that my new Dandelion & Burdock bitters with tequila are heavenly! Have to say that I'm a bit annoyed at that comment regarding lucre as it's never been about money for me. I've never hidden any details regarding the Boker's which I'll cover in further depth later in this post. It's more likely to be that you're comparing dashes from different bottles and that's where the problem lies; A dash of Angostura Aromatic/Orange will typically give you around 1ml (my testing gave me 20ml of Angostura with just 18-22 dashes) The bottle I use for my Boker's took around 50 dashes to get to 20ml. I like the control this gives however I am looking for another bottle at the moment. The Bitter Truth bottle took around 40 dashes to get to 20ml. The Regan's Orange/Peychaud's took less than the Angostura Aromatic, around 16-18 dashes. You also have to bare in mind the various production techniques that are used in compounding these bitters as I already touched on in the 'All About Bitters' thread. Take from that what you will. From both a bartender viewpoint and someone who compounds bitters, in my opinion there has to be a distinct difference between what I'd quantify as a tincture (a one flavour bottling) versus a true bitters (layers of flavour). When I buy bitters I don't expect a singular flavour, I expect complexity and bitterness. I can see what you're saying here but I have to go back to my original point and suggest finding a pairing of spirit and/or drink to go with those particular bitters. For example I tend to use Regan's Orange #6 with darker/aged spirits and the Angostura Orange with white/lighter spirits. I'd say the reason they are not 'must-haves' is because they haven't been around as long as Angostura Aromatic or Peychaud's, and aren't as sought after as orange bitters have been the last 10-20 years and the multitude of drinks calling for them isn't as vast as those calling for those mentioned. However, things are slowly changing and the new bitters are becoming a staple for many bartenders, on many cocktail lists, all around the globe. As you're aware the Boker's I originally made was for my own needs (JT Project) but due to demand and enquiries I began producing for the wider bartending community. This production has since continued and is entirely for bartender's based on their demands, and judging by these last few weeks it's not going to let up any time soon. Many cocktail lists are now listing drinks with Boker's and I've been contacted by a number of people looking to ensure that they'll be able to order more bottlings in the next few weeks and/or to purchase a number of bottles so that they don't run out. The fact that I now haev suppliers in every corner of the globe also shows that there's something there. It may not be a staple for you but it is for others. I'd like to add that I've never proclaimed to do anything other than give bartenders the option to construct drinks the way that Jerry Thomas did in the 1800s. Over the last few years we've been limited in our bitters offering, and when it comes to authentic reproductions of drinks we've had little choice but to use Angostura Aromatic. That doesn't sit with me. Now though, thanks to the work of the likes of Stephan Berg and Alexander Hauck, Avery and Janet Glasser, Gary Regan and Ted Haigh, the guys at Fee and Scrappy's, and Robert (Bob's Bitters) we have a selection of bottlings to choose from which gives us the possibility of recreating vintage drinks but also create our own original libations. That's phenomenal, and to think that I'm playing a small part in it just blows my mind. The doors that my Boker's has opened has enabled to me spend some time on a project I'd always wanted to undertake, which is where my new Dandelion & Burdock bitters come in. To back up what I've done I've conducted more research into Boker's and its history than anyone that I'm aware of and hope to release a treatise in the near future (it's been a lengthy process and it's still not finalised). The other consideration is that surely you wish to use the best bitters possible for a particular drink? Limiting yourself to just Angostura, Peychaud's and an orange bitters isn't a bad thing, but for me it'd make more sense to have more bottles to choose from. I think this quote separates the home bartender from the working bartender to be honest. Although, I've had many home bartenders re-order bottlings in the last 6 months since I started producing Boker's. This I wholeheartedly agree with.