How to Make Homemade Bitters

Step 1

Place botanicals in separate jars: Place each botanical (bittering agents or aromatic/flavor agent) in a separate jar. You may wish to chop up or crack ingredients to expose more surface area for better and faster infusion.

Step 2

Cover with liquor: Add liquor to each jar, making sure the botanicals are completely submerged. Cover the jar tightly.

Step 3

Label the jars: Don't forget to label the jar with the contents and date. You may also wish to write down the measurements you used, either on the label or in separate notes.

Step 4

Shake the jars once a day: Give each jar a good shake, and continue to shake them once a day.

Step 5

Wait for botanicals to infuse: Depending on the botanical, infusing time may range from a day to several weeks. Regularly smell and sample each tincture; it will be ready when it strongly conveys the ingredient. To smell, put a couple drops of the infusion in your palms, rub them together, and hold your hands up to your nose. To taste, put a couple drops in a glass of still or sparkling water — or taste it straight but bear in mind it will be rather intense!

Step 6

Strain: When each tincture is ready, strain out the solids. For finer straining, use a coffee filter.

Step 7

Blend: Now comes the creative part. Using a dropper, pipette, or syringe, start blending the different tinctures together in a small glass or clean bitters bottle. You might use anywhere from a couple drops to a full ounce or two of each tincture. Optionally, you can dilute it with distilled water and/or lightly sweeten it. (Remember to take notes so you can reproduce your bitters recipe if it turns out well!) Try your blend using the smelling and tasting tips in Step Give it a few days or weeks for the flavors to really marry.

Step 8

Bottle: If you didn't blend your bitters right in the bottle, transfer the mixture to a clean container. It can last for years!