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tomoe
Veteran Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
 
2011-07-02, 21:37

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ryan View Post
I still can’t find orange bitters anywhere here. The ones I’m making tonight are 2oz rye, 1oz sweet vermouth, dash of Angostura. Splash of orange liqueur (I’m using Mathilde) in the glass and freeze it for ten minutes, then swirl and dump. Stir with ice and strain. Pretty tasty.
You're in Texas, right? Maybe try a Twin Liquors for orange bitters. Worst comes to worst, I think you can order orange bitters via the interweb. Or if you want to be a DIY baller, you can make your own. Here is Gary Regan's recipe:

Quote:
Originally Posted by gary regan

REGAN’S ORANGE BITTERS RECIPE NO. 5

Allow four weeks to prepare this bitters recipe.

8oz Dried Orange Peel, Chopped Very Fine
1 Teaspoon Cardamom Seeds (taken out of their pods)
1/2 Teaspoon Caraway Seeds
1 Teaspoon Coriander Seeds
1 Teaspoon Quassia Chips
1/2 Teaspoon Powdered Cinchona Bark
1/4 Teaspoon Gentian
2 Cups Grain Alcohol
4 1/2 Cups Water, Divided Into 1/2 Cup, 3 1/2 Cups, and 1/2 Cup
1 Cup Granulated Sugar

Place the peel, cardamom seeds, caraway seeds, coriander seeds, quassia, cinchona bark, gentian, grain alcohol, and 1/2 cup water into a half-gallon mason jar and push the ingredients down so that they are covered by the alcohol and water. Seal the jar.

We dehydrated our own orange peels, it took about 30 oranges, but the freshness is outstanding.

Shake the jar vigorously once a day for fourteen days.

Strain the alcohol from the dry ingredients through a cheesecloth. Gather the ends of the cheesecloth to form a pouch and squeeze tightly to extract as much alcohol as possible. Place the dry ingredients in a strong bowl or mortar; reserve the alcohol in a clean mason jar and seal tightly.

Muddle the dry ingredients with a pestle or strong spoon until the seeds are broken.

Place the dry ingredients in a nonreactive saucepan and cover with 3 1/2 cups of water. Bring to a boil over a medium-high heat, cover, turn the heat down, and simmer for 10 minutes. Allow to cool, still covered (about 1 hour).

Return the dry ingredients and water to the original mason jar that contained the alcohol, seal, and leave for seven days, shaking vigorously once a day.

Strain the water from the dry ingredients through a cheesecloth. Discard the dry ingredients and add the water to the alcohol.

Put sugar in a small nonstick saucepan and place over a medium-high heat. Stir constantly until the sugar becomes liquid and turns dark brown. Remove from heat and allow to cool for two minutes.

Pour the sugar into the alcohol-and-water mixture. At this point the sugar may solidify, but it will quickly dissolve.

Allow the mixture to stand for seven days. Skim off any bits that float to the surface and carefully decant the clear liquid to separate it from any sediment resting on the bottom.

Measure the bitters; there should be about 12 fluid ounces. Add 6 ounces of water, and shake thoroughly. Pour the bitters into a bitters bottle. Store for up to twelve months.

Seen a man standin' over a dead dog lyin' by the highway in a ditch
He's lookin' down kinda puzzled pokin' that dog with a stick
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