Ask a Bartender: What’s With All The Bitters?

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Friday, March 06, 2015

Kai Soderberg, GoLocalPDX Contributor

With the classic cocktail renaissance in full effect, Portland barflies have their work cut out for them. Because it’s Portland, it’s not as simple as reproducing classics, we have to put our own modern and local twists on things. Case in point, bitters. New flavors of bitters, as well as the new companies making them are popping up every year bringing us to the point today where there are a hundred thousand ways to make a manhattan. 

The fact that many of these flavors were not in wide circulation before, makes this trend seem just that: A trend—as in a frantic move towards an arbitrary direction in the hopes of creating momentum. And while there are many such trends in the Portland craft cocktail scene that are little more than laughable (.cough...bowties and plaid...cough), the elevated role of bitters is not one of them. 

So what are they? And, why are they important? 

First, there are medicinal purposes to bitters. They work wonders for indigestion. This is why apertifs—bitter liqueurs without much alcohol content—are traditionally enjoyed before a meal. Bittering agents produce saliva, stimulate appetite, and prepare the digestive system to break down foods. 

As a flavoring agent, bitters also fulfill a crucial role in balancing out cocktails. The multitude of flavors like, orange, chocolate, rhubarb and lavender can be overwhelming. A few drops will completely transform a glass of soda water. In a cocktail, their role is much more subtle. Chocolate bitters won’t make a manhattan taste like chocolate so much as assist the existing notes in the drink, adding complexity and delivering a far more interesting drinking experience. I use the word interesting because not all cocktails would necessarily benefit from chocolate bitters, but they would necessarily become more interesting. It takes an experienced drink maker to know when something is actually good with something else, and why.  

If a cocktail is a team effort, and it is (every ingredient plays a role in its success and, as with the best teams, no single ingredient dominates) bitters are the guys making assists. They don’t draw a lot of attention to themselves and the general public, as easily infatuated by showmanship as it is, often overlooks them. But as long as they keep getting paid and keep winning games, they don’t mind.  

For about a year now, the Portland Bitters Project has been putting out a great, consistent product. Owner and operator, Cindy Capparelli was kind enough to give her thoughts on the mysterious elexir. 

GoLocalPDX: How did you come into this line of work?

Cindy Capparelli: I came from a botanist/ landscape design background. After the cocktail boom in Portland, I became interested in bitters and what they did. I realized I had all the right resources to do it well. 

You only have a few flavors, and seem to be more quality-driven, than quantity. Is there merit to putting out a bunch of different flavors? 

We have three flavors. I think it's important to perfect a recipe before going on to the next one. I am interested in exploring new recipes and am always thinking about it but I want to make sure they are what they are supposed to be before putting them out. I only use fresh, organic ingredients because first, it's pure and healthy and the digestive benefits aren't compromised and second, it contributes to the flavor. Right now I'm working with Double Dragon to put out a pho bitters for a cocktail they're doing.  

Do you enjoy the collaborative approach?

Yes, I like working with bartenders. They always have something specific in mind. I also get a lot of my herbs from Able Farms on Sauvie. I think it's important to work closely with everybody involved. 

Do you think bitters-making should be a place-based thing? In other words, are you interested in capturing Portland’s terroir when making bitters?

I think it can be. Our Dug Fir bitters is a good example of that. It sounds like an unusual flavor, but it has gotten a lot of good reception in Portland. I think the scent of Dug Firs is so imbedded in Portland air, so we walk around in it all day, not necessarily aware of it, but then when you have the smell and taste in a bottled form, people really recognize it. 

Where do you see the role of bitters in bars ten years from now? 

I think bitters will have a more mainstream foothold in bars. More bartenders are concerned with their craft today which is great. People are also becoming more aware of bitters digestive benefits.

Find out more about what Cindy is doing at portlandbittersproject.com.

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