What are bitters?
Bitters are strong botanical infusions used in small amounts as a herbal remedy or as a flavouring for food and drinks. They are made by steeping seeds, bark, or leaves with a distinct bitter or bittersweet taste in high-percentage alcohol, although they can also be made alcohol-free. A wide variety of additional ingredients, including flowers, fruits, and nuts, give bitters their overall aroma and flavour.
They are versatile, useful, zesty, sweet, and complex elixirs comprised out of ingredients you find in the forest, the garden, or the kitchen.
A Brief History of Bitters
Concentrated herbal bitters and tonics can be traced as far back as ancient Egypt, where such infusions were prepared in jars of wine. They continued to be used in the Middle Ages, when they were sipped on their own to cure various ailments.
Sometime after the 1800s, bitters began being used as a flavour enhancement rather than a medicinal herb-based drink. The British used them in the Canary Islands to flavour local wines, and Americans added drops of bitters to poor-quality illegal spirits to improve their taste during the prohibition era. It is almost hard to believe that, before the prohibition, hundreds of bitters were on the market. During this time, cocktails were synonymous with a drink made from bitters; bitters are a key ingredient in the first printed use of the term ‘cocktail.’
Only in the last decade or so have these intriguing botanical infusions come back into the public eye with a vengeance. Contemporary cocktail bars often make their own bitters for craft drinks, and who doesn’t have an old Angostura bottle in the pantry cupboard? It is easy to forget bitters’ medicinal pasts. However, many bitter-tasting liquors on the market, such as Chartreuse, were first developed for the medicinal qualities of bitter roots. Drinks made using sassafras and sarsaparilla (which is included in our D.I.Y. Bitters kits), what we know today as root beer, were made by the indigenous people of the Americas for both culinary and medicinal purposes.
Although bitters are certainly essential to a good cocktail, perhaps the time has come for us to expand our use of these herbal infusions. Next time you are feeling low on energy, suffering from cramps or indigestion, feeling a hangover, or hanging on to a headache, reach for a glass of sparkling water with a dash of bitters.
Who are we?
We are a Dutch mother-daughter duo based in Qualicum Beach, B.C. Annette (the mother) has green thumbs and never-ending energy, while Anouk (the daughter) is an outdoorsy and creative "project person" who likes to add more to the Trailing Wild bucket list.
After living in Canada for 20 years, we were looking for a project to learn more about foraging and wildcrafting in the West Coast. It didn't take long before we landed on homemade bitters! Rather than producing bitters for selling, we wanted to encourage other crafty folks to experiment with foraged, seasonal ingredients and discover the versatility of bitters.
As this business venture unfolds, our eyes have been opened to the medicinal history of bitters. We look forward to discovering the potential of these botanical infusions and seeing what you create with your D.I.Y. Bitters Sets!
