Fee's Lemon Bitters

[Carlovski]

I've just started getting into cocktail making at home - slowly putting together a starter set of bottles (with a slant towards gin, and things that complement it!).

I was in my local wine shop picking up a couple of bottles when I noticed they had a small bath of Fee's bitters on sale, I asked if they had the orange one, as I've seen a number of recipes that call for it (And fancied experimenting with it in a Negroni), but they only had the aromatic bitters, and a lemon one. I bought a bottle of the lemon, but am a bit stumped as to what to do with it - I can't seem to find anyone recommending it for anything. I'll have a play with adding it to a G&T, although I am usually a purist about such things, but has anyone got any suggestions?

[BTR]

I've got this same question about their grapefruit bitters, if anyone can offer enlightenment there.

[Chris Hennes]

I go through lemon bitters at a pretty good rate because I add them to soda. I think both Pepsi and Coke are much improved by a few healthy dashes Of the Fee Bros. lemon. As for cocktails: a few drops of lemon or orange bitters are nice in martinis, depending on the gin. And I like lemon bitters in a Cosmopolitan.

[MikeInSacto]

I've got this same question about their grapefruit bitters, if anyone can offer enlightenment there.

I like a couple of dashes of the grapefruit bitters in my G&Ts. Have't tried them in much else.

[EvergreenDan]

For lemon bitters, try a few dashes in a Sidecar or any other lemon-juice-based cocktail. Also delicious in selzer (as is grapefruit bitters). Here's one of my ideas that features lemon bitters:

Bitter, Bitter, Bitter, Bitter

2 oz Aperol (or Campari)

1/2 oz Lemon juice

1 t Fernet Branca

3 ds Fees Old Fashioned bitters

5 ds Lemon bitters

2 oz Seltzer

Shake still ingredients, stain, rocks, top with seltzer, lowball.

Light, refreshing, approachable bitter aftertaste

Here are another half-dozen ideas for lemon bitters from my database.

I love grapefruit bitters, too. This delicious concoction is from Chowhound's DavisSqPro and, as luck has it, features Aperol too. I believe the name is mine as the author left it unnamed:

Sur del Sol

1 oz Pisco

1 oz Blanco tequila

1 oz Aperol

3/4 oz Lemon juice

1 t Agave syrup (cut 50:50 with water, or just simple syrup)

1 pn Salt (small)

1 ds Fee WBA bitters

1 ds Grapefruit bitters (or Amargo bitters)

2 sli Cucumber (to muddle and for garnish)

Muddle 1/2" slice cucumber with pisco and tequila. Fine strain, top with

soda (optional) and garnish with cucumber slice.

And I recently posted my take on Eastern Standard cocktail by way of Boston Apothecary, which I named the Southeastern Cocktail.

Here are a bunch of grapefruit bitters ideas.

I just got the Bittermen's Grapefruit bitters. They are very nice, with a distinct bitterness. Potent, too.

Edited October 31, 2010 by EvergreenDan (log)