Peach Bitters

[kvltrede]

Just placed a special order with Sam's Wine & Spirits. My intention here is not to post a commercial but I will say that Sam's was very quick to respond and as helpful as the arcane rules of liquor distribution would allow.

Initially they were hesitant to order one of the items I was looking for, Fee Bros. Peach Bitters, because they'd have to order a case of 12 bottles from the Fee Bros. distributor. They offered to buy a case if I'd take the whole thing but I can't even imagine how long it might take to go through 12 bottles of any style of bitters let alone peach so I passed. Then I decided to play the internet bulletin board card and they relented.

I pointed out how much stuff I'd purchased from them based on discussions, recommendations and recipes I'd read at places like eGullet and DrinkBoy and I said I'd mention that peach bitters could be had at Sam's for any Chicagoans interested in picking up a bottle. When I put it that way they decided to take a chance on 11 bottles of peach bitters getting dusty.

So, if you've seen JAZ's adaptation of Harrington's version of the Beachcomber (in a thread called The Aviation) or if you've been wanting to try a Velvet Daquiri with a couple dashes of peach bitters--which, come to think, may also be Janet's idea--or any other cocktail or food recipe you think might benefit from a dash of peach bitters, well, you should be able to pick up a bottle of Fee Bros. Peach Bitters at Sam's on Marcey in Chi sometime next week. If you'd like a hedzup post here or send me a PM. They're going to let me know when my special order and the bitters show up.

No affiliation with Sam's except as a customer, yadda yadda yadda.

Kurt

[cdh]

Fee's themselves will send individual bottles to customers who ask.

For those with recalcitrant retailers, go to the source!

[CtznCane]

I got mine from Surfas out of L.A. they were very helpful You can find them at surfasonline.com . I've gotten to where my favorite non-drink is a few splashes of peach bitters in club soda.

[LindyCat]

Thanks for posting this! I'm a Chicago dweller and I've been wanting peach bitters. Definately check back when they will be on shelf for me. :)

[DrinkBoy]

Peach bitters are great dashed on the top of a Bellini.

And I've got three recipes on my site which I specifically designed to use Peach bitters.

Gotham

1/2 teaspoon Pernod (or Absinthe Substitute)

3 dashes peach bitters

3 ounces brandy

Coat a chilled old fashioned glass with Pernod, then add the peach bitters, and brandy. Garnish with a lemon twist.

Renaissance

2 ounces brandy

1 1/3 ounce sweet vermouth

1/3 ounce lemoncello

2 dashes peach bitters

Stir with ice. Strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.

Trident

1 ounce dry sherry

1 ounce Cynar

1 ounce aquavit

2 dashes peach bitters

Stir with ice. Strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.

-Robert

[kvltrede]

I'm told the Fee Bros. Peach Bitters is expected at Sam's soon, perhaps as soon as tomorrow but possibly next week. I'll post again when I know for sure.

Some of you may be interested to know that I asked about Gary Regan's bitters and suggested that Sam's look into carrying those too. Dunno what will happen on that score but my contact at Sam's said he'd get in touch with his Buffalo Trace rep.

Kurt

[kvltrede]

Peach bitters has hit Chicago. Sam's Wine & Spirits received it's order of one case of peach bitters from it's Fee Bros. distributor and they are on the shelf. Note, however, that this is eleven measly bottles (plus the one already at Will Call for me).

Again, I have no affiliation with Sam's except as a customer, yadda yadda yadda. I will say, though, that I have been extremely pleased with the friendly and helpful service I received from David Soto at Sam's. He's been great about looking into all of my special requests.

FYI, if he can get Gary Regan's Orange Bitters #6 he's going to pick some up...

Kurt

Sam's Wine & Spirits

1720 North Marcey Street

Chicago, IL

Store Hours:

Monday - Saturday 8am-9pm

Sunday 11am-6pm

[LindyCat]

I bought my bottle yesterday.

[BTR]

I just got a bottle, along with some Peychaud's bitters.

But ... I don't know what to do with them! The only thing I'm currently equipped to make is JAZ's Beachcomber variant.

[kvltrede]

...I just got a bottle, along with some Peychaud's bitters.

But ... I don't know what to do with them!...

Experiment. Pick a drink you like that uses Angostura (or any other bitters you're familiar with) and sub Peychaud's or Fee Bros. Peach.

Or, dial up CocktailDB and peruse the Bitters section of the Ingredients area. Following the Peychaud's link gets you 35 recipes. The peach bitters link gets you 20 recipes.

Here are two drinks that don't require an extensive liquor cabinet:

The Barney French looks to be a sugar-free Old Fashioned w/Peychaud's and a lemon twist: muddle Peychaud's, an orange wheel and a lemon twist then add ice and bourbon. The recipe, as presented, is a little confusing--I think I'd add the twist at the end--but hardly complicated and easy to make one's own.

The Fox River looks darn tasty too: bourbon, creme de cacao and peach bitters stirred w/ice and strained into a cocktail glass with a twist of lemon.

Kurt

Edited April 12, 2005 by kvltrede (log)

[cdh]

Fee's Peach Bitters make a wonderful champagne cocktail. A tsp of sugar, a couple of shakes of fees and a flute of inexpensive fizzy wine turn into a wonderfully floral and complex cocktail.

[Ian McCarthy]

So, has anyone tried to make their own? I really can't stand Fee's. All of their "fruit" bitters taste like cough syrup flavors to me.

[jmfangio]

So, has anyone tried to make their own? I really can't stand Fee's. All of their "fruit" bitters taste like cough syrup flavors to me.

I'm working on a peach bitters recipe. First batch was pretty damn good, great in a Trident, but I'd like a little more depth and bitterness. Second batch will be ready in a couple of days, and for this one I upped the cinchona, and I'm planning to use caramelized sugar rather than simple syrup as a sweetener.

[The Supper Model]

I love bitters in my champagne cocktails but have not tried peach bitters so thanks for the great info! Bellinis here we come.

I also found rhubarb bitters in the store today and was tempted to buy it and try to work with it...

Anyone have a recipe using rhubarb bitters or anyone used it before and think it is worth purchasing?

[Ian McCarthy]

Care to share your procedure thus far?

[EvergreenDan]

I also found rhubarb bitters in the store today and was tempted to buy it and try to work with it... Anyone have a recipe using rhubarb bitters or anyone used it before and think it is worth purchasing?

You'll find Fee Rhubarb bitters discussed intermittently in the big Bitters thread starting here. I initially liked them, but since learning that they contain artificial (and natural) flavors, I'm now less keen.

Kindred Cocktails lists a number of recipes that use Fee Rhubarb Bitters. This one uses a half ounce.

Rhubarb and Rye

by Dan Chadwick

1 1/2 oz Rye (preferably overproof)

1 oz Aperol

1/2 oz Rhubarb bitters, Fee Brothers

1/2 oz Lemon juice

1 Lemon zest (as garnish)

Shake, strain, rocks, low-ball. Garnish with a swatch of lemon peel

My personal notes: A fun, somewhat light cocktail.

Edited June 14, 2011 by EvergreenDan (log)

[evo-lution]

So, has anyone tried to make their own? I really can't stand Fee's. All of their "fruit" bitters taste like cough syrup flavors to me.

Short answer, yes, based on the bottlings of vintage Peach Bitters I own. I've been analysing them for some time and hope to submit them to a gas chromotography in the coming weeks. Whether I ever release these as a bottling I've yet to decide, although I would love to release a true Peach Bitters. That's about all I can share just now.

[eje]

Peach bitters are a bit confusing, I think.

It seems like there was a variety of products, some potable and some not.

Stuff like Rin Quin Quin on one side and, well, Fee's on the other.

A bitters that was like Fee's Peach Bitters, but actually bitter, would be nice. On the other hand, there aren't that many classic cocktails which call for Peach Bitters, so it is hard to know how big a market there would be.

Cocktail enthusiasts are vocal about this or that missing obscure ingredient. Then when we actually get it, we sometimes realize why there were only 5 or 6 classic cocktails which called for it.

You see a company like Bols with their Genever. They've done a great job promoting the historical context of their beverage. They pimped new and old cocktail recipes to use it in. Events, Bars, parties, etc. But that takes a lot of money and effort.

On the other hand, you might take the example of some of the Violet liqueurs. How many violet liqueurs does a person (or bar) need? And how much of them are you the manufacturer really going to sell? I haven't even finished the first 300ml bottle of Violet liqueur I suitcased in from England 6 years ago, let alone that 750ml of R&W Violet at the back of the cabinet.

I would love not to have to make my version of Hercules every month, but that doesn't mean I think there is really enough of a demand for cocktail friendly Yerba Mate infused Aperitifs to launch a business. Heck, E&F Newall already tried it at the start of the 20th Century and look where it got them.

Edited June 14, 2011 by eje (log)

[evo-lution]

Peach bitters are a bit confusing, I think.

It seems like there was a variety of products, some potable and some not.

Many non-potable bitters were intended to be mixed with water/wine/alcohol (thus giving you a potable bitters of sorts) before consumption.

In essence you would have a small bottle of bitters concentrate which you could dilute/lengthen (as above) or dash into other drinks. Many bitters that were being sold in the US (as a medicine) were only doing so to avoid the additional taxation that other spirits incurred.

Bitters/amaros also have a long tradition and history in Europe, they can't get enough.

A bitters that was like Fee's Peach Bitters, but actually bitter, would be nice. On the other hand, there aren't that many classic cocktails which call for Peach Bitters, so it is hard to know how big a market there would be.

Why would the market be driven by the number of classic cocktails? The target market, in this case those at the forefront of cocktail culture around the World, are typically geared toward classic drinks coupled with their own creations;

- For the former it's great to have famous drinks calling specifically for your product (see my Boker's Bitters and the Japanese Cocktail, Crusta or Martinez)

- For the latter it's giving bartenders something new that has a multitude of uses in various drinks (TBT Celery Bitters in the Martini, Bloody Mary and Tom Bullock's Celery Sour)

- The third factor is having a product that fits with the following saying, "People know what they like but they don't know what they want till you show them." My Dandelion & Burdock and Limited Edition Spanish fit here, as does the Bittermens range, TBT Celery and JT Decanter Bitters...

There's a lot of interest in Peach Bitters and it's an ingredient I see listed regularly on drinks menus. Producing a better and more authentic product than those currently available is an interesting prospect.

Cocktail enthusiasts are vocal about this or that missing obscure ingredient. Then when we actually get it, we sometimes realize why there were only 5 or 6 classic cocktails which called for it.

That's why you don't just sell/market to cocktail enthusiasts.

[EvergreenDan]

Adam -- I'm confused about your vision for your peach bitters. Will it taste of peach flesh, peach pits (almond), both, something else?

[evo-lution]

Adam -- I'm confused about your vision for your peach bitters. Will it taste of peach flesh, peach pits (almond), both, something else?

It'll essentially be a reformulation inspired by past products but suited to modern drinks/palates.

[brinza]

I say let's kill Peach Bitters now before we're inflicted with some disturbing variant of the Fuzzy Navel.

[Ufamizm]

I actually just finished my first batch of smoked peach bitters. I'm really happy with how it turned out, although I'm going to have to wait and see how shelf stable it is. I know everyone is getting in the bitters business these days, but I think I might jump in soon with this as one of my launching items. I have yet to find a peach bitters with the depth and complexity (its no Fee's candy bomb).

[evo-lution]

Interested to hear more about your bottling, particularly the flavour profile.

[violetfox]

I love bitters in my champagne cocktails but have not tried peach bitters so thanks for the great info! Bellinis here we come.

I also found rhubarb bitters in the store today and was tempted to buy it and try to work with it...

Anyone have a recipe using rhubarb bitters or anyone used it before and think it is worth purchasing?

Imbibe magazine had a recipe for rhubarb bitters last month or so - I asked if anyone had tried it but apparently not. It sounds like a great idea to me.