Making your own Citrus Bitters - How to

Bitters are a special ingredient in cocktails that lends a tang to a drink and are great in drinks based on gin, vodka or whiskey.  Bitters are also a digestive aid and these two recipes made with citrus are high in anti-oxidants and can assist with keeping blood sugar levels, well level.

Citrus Bitters

The bright flavor these lend to your ginger ale, seltzer, sparking water or spirits is amazing and unique; you may find you cannot live without it.

What you need to make these:

• 
  1 750-ml bottle of plain (unflavored) vodka
  
• 4 oranges, zest only from the entire orange
• 2 lemons, zest only from entire lemon
• 1 Tbls fennel seeds
• 1 3-inch cinnamon stick
• ½ tsp whole cloves
• ½ tsp coriander seed

Steps:

Peel the zest from the lemons and oranges, getting all the orange and yellow peel, but none of the white pith underneath.  

Add the citrus peels and the fennel, coriander, cinnamon, and cloves in a 1-quart mason jar.  

Pour in the vodka until the jar is full

Seal tightly and give it a shake to blend and get everything wet. Label the jar with date started.

Place the jar in a cool, dark area for 4 to 8 weeks shaking every other day or so.

Once infused, strain the bitters using a fine mesh strainer

Transfer the liquid to 4-ounce amber dropper jars for long term storage at room temperature. 

Recipe makes 6 4-ounce jars.

Recipes using bitters:

Old-Fashioned Cocktail

• 1 1/2  oz. Bourbon Whiskey
• 3 Dashes Citrus Bitters
• Pinch of raw sugar
• Slice of orange
• Cherry to garnish

Mixology:

In a rocks glass, muddle the sugar and bitters. Add ice and orange, then pour the bourbon on top. Stir gently to mix. Garnish with a cherry.

Bitters Mayonnaise Drizzle

This has a tangy, creamy, and slightly citrus-bitter flavor that would pair beautifully with a variety of dishes.

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 2 Tbsp. grated pecorino Romano cheese or a tangy Parmesan
• 1 tsp. grated lemon peel
• 1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp. citrus bitters

Whisk together mayonnaise, cheese, lemon peel, lemon juice and bitters. Set aside.

To serve, warm up mayonnaise in microwave for 15-30 seconds; stir well. Drizzle over hot vegetables (see recipe below).

🥔Great over potatoes: Roasted fingerling potatoes, crispy smashed baby potatoes, grilled sweet potato planks, herbed potato wedges

🐟 Fun on Seafood: Especially mild, flaky fish: Grilled or baked cod, halibut, or tilapia;  seared scallops, drizzle on shrimp skewers; Add as a topping or side dip to crab cakes

🍗 Chicken & Poultry as an aioli to serve on grilled or baked chicken breasts or thighs; roast turkey sliders, or chicken skewers with herbs

🥗 Salads & Grain Bowls can be enhanced with a warm dressing or finishing drizzle

 

Roasted Vegetables

• 1-2 lbs. asparagus spears, green beans, broccoli raab, rapine or Chinese broccoli (or a combination)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp. citrus bitters
• Makes 4 - 8 servings

Directions:

Rinse vegetables and drain well. Break off tough ends from asparagus. Remove stems from green beans. Whisk together olive oil, soy sauce, 1 Tbsp. lemon juice and 1 tsp. bitters. Brush liberally on vegetables; let stand 15 minutes.

Heat a large iron fry pan over medium heat. Place vegetables in pan in a single a layer. Cook about 5 minutes or until lightly browned. (The time depends on how thick the vegetables are.) Turn and cook 3-5 minutes more or until tender. Cook in two or three batches, if necessary.

Cheese Crostini with honey bitters

• 1/2 cup local light honey
• 1/2 tsp. citrus bitters
• French style baguette
• Tangy cheese (soft goat cheese, blue cheese, blue stilton, Gorgonzola, or brie)

Directions:

Stir bitters into honey. Pour into a squeeze bottle, if desired.

Thinly slice baguette and toast lightly; cool. Top each piece with cheese. Drizzle bitters honey. Serve immediately.

Three Host and Hostess Gifts to Make Ahead

The Fall entertaining season is about to start and if you are traveling to someone else's for a party we would like to recommend a few hand-made gifts that you can create to take as a present for the hosts.

Three handmade, herb infused gifts to present to your hosts:

1. Homemade Bitters
2. Hand-blended Teas
3. Flavor infused Mixers

Handmade Bitters

In my mocktail program I always say I am going to share this recipe for citrus bitters on my blog, but i never seem to do it, so for those who have been waiting, here is the recipe.  you need to plan ahead to make this as a gift, as it takes 6 to 8 weeks to cure properly, but one batch will give you may jars of bitters to use for gifting and yourself!

Bitters are a special ingredient in cocktails that lends a tang to a drink and are great in drinks based on gin or vodka.  Bitters are also a digestive aid and these two recipes made with citrus are high in anti-oxidants and can assist with keeping blood sugar levels, well level.

Citrus bitters

The bright flavor these lend to your ginger ale, seltzer, sparking water or spirits is amazing and unique; you may find you cannot live without it.

• 1 750-ml bottle of plain (unflavored) vodka
• 4 oranges, zest only from the entire orange
• 2 lemons, zest only from entire lemon
• 1 Tbls fennel seeds
• 1 3-inch cinnamon stick
• ½ tsp whole cloves
• ½ tsp coriander seed

Zest the lemons and oranges, getting all the orange and yellow peel, but none of the white pith underneath.  Place the zest and the fennel, coriander and cloves in a 1-quart mason jar.  Seal tightly and shake, then place in a cool, dark area for 4 to 8 weeks shaking every other day.

Once infused, strain the bitters using a fine mesh strainer and transfer the liquid to 4-ounce amber dropper jars for long term storage at room temperature. Recipe makes 6 4-ounce jars. These never spoil!

TO USE: 

• Bitters can be added to a tall glass of iced ginger ale, just a few drops will make a refreshing drink.
• Swap them in for extracts in baked goods.
• Toss them with popcorn.
• Shake them into lemonade or juice.
• Infuse honey and maple syrup.
• Add them to poaching liquid for fruit.

Try this Cocktail--  Tea Time Tippler

• 2 oz. Green or Herbal Tea
• 1 oz Lavender Simple Syrup
• 1 oz Ginger Beer
• 1/2 oz Lemon Juice
• 2 Dashes of  Bitters

Directions:

Combine ingredients in a shaker and shake. Strain into chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with grapefruit disk. Recipe makes 1 cocktail.

Hand-blended Teas

A dry herb tea blend is quick and easy to make. Then just place the mixture in a canning jar with a decorative label with instructions and attach a tea infuser and you have a perfect little gift. Choose a relaxing blend to help your host wind down after the stress of entertaining. This recipe has cooling and restoring mint along with immunity boosters in lemongrass and rosehips.

Winter Serendipitea Tea 

• 1 teaspoon dried spearmint
• 1 teaspoon peppermint
• 1 teaspoon crushed rosehips
• 1 teaspoon dried chopped lemongrass 
• 1/2 teaspoon each of orange peel 
• 1/2 teaspoon raspberry leaf
• dash of cinnamon

Mix ingredients together well.  Store in a tightly lidded container.

TO USE: Bring cool water to a boil.  Place 1 tsp of the tea blend in a tea infuser, pour 1 cup of boiling water over and allow to steep for 3 – 5 minutes, preferably in a covered container.  

For iced tea, allow to steep up to 10 minutes, then allow to cool to room temperature and add ice and a squeeze of lemon if desired.

We have shared a number of recipes for herb teas here in the blog, so if you want something different check out this list: Tea Recipes at Backyard Patch

Or you can just pick up a Backyard Patch Tea blend by visiting our website.

Flavor-infused Mixers

My last recommendation is to make a flavored alcohol or a faux gin for your hosts. We have recipes here: Faux Gin. Or you can craft something with our simple cocktail kits, like Apple Cinnamon Bourbon or a quick and easy Faux Gin, or even an Old-Fashioned Cocktail.

To make your own Old-Fashioned --

• 2 ounces bourbon or rye whiskey 
• 1/4 ounce simple syrup 
• 2 dashes bitters 
•  orange slice & maraschino cherry to garnish

Combine all ingredients in a low ball glass, add ice and garnish and sip!