Modern Recipes

Non-alcoholic aromatic bitters with ginger beer and lime

Glass: Highball

Garnish: Lime wheel and candied ginger

Non-alcoholic aromatic bitters replicate the warming spice complexity of classic bitters-forward highballs. Ginger beer's natural bite pairs with the aromatic spice to create genuine depth without alcohol; lime supplies the acid that keeps the drink from turning syrupy.

Non-alcoholic citrus bitters with tonic and grapefruit

Glass: Highball

Garnish: Grapefruit slice

A refreshing non-alcoholic highball that uses non-alcoholic orange bitters to bring complexity to tonic water and fresh grapefruit juice. Demonstrates how non-alcoholic bitters can create genuinely interesting mocktails rather than mere juice drinks.

Cocktail showcasing multiple bitters

Glass: Coupe

Garnish: Orange peel

A Trinidad-Sour structure with a smaller bitters base, doubled aromatically by orange bitters. Orgeat's almond fat is what makes the gentian palatable at this dosage, and lemon's acid keeps the spice readable. The orange bitters are the lift; without them the drink reads heavy.

Non-alcoholic orange bitters with orange juice and grenadine

Glass: Collins

Garnish: Orange slice

A non-alcoholic riff on the Tequila Sunrise structure, using non-alcoholic orange bitters to add depth and complexity to orange juice and grenadine. The bitters transform what would be a simple juice drink into something with genuine cocktail character.

Modern Manhattan variation with Averna amaro replacing vermouth

Glass: Coupe

Garnish: Brandied cherry

Averna's caramel and orange-peel bitterness replaces sweet vermouth's red-fruit, deepening the Manhattan into something darker and longer on the finish. Rye's spice has more to lean into here; Angostura's clove sits inside Averna's herbal register like an echo.

Manhattan with Fee Brothers Chocolate Bitters

Glass: Coupe

Garnish: Orange peel

Chocolate bitters trade Angostura's clove-and-gentian backbone for cacao and roasted notes that flatter rye's grain spice and sweet vermouth's vanilla. The Manhattan structure is unchanged; only the aromatic register shifts, pulling the drink toward dessert without adding sugar.

Gin and ginger beer with fresh mint

Glass: Copper Mug

Garnish: Mint sprig, lime wheel

A Mojito and a Moscow Mule overlapped — gin and mint share the herbaceous register, ginger beer and lime supply the spice-acid axis. Two dashes of Angostura sharpen the herbal complexity so the drink reads layered rather than just refreshing; the simple syrup balances the lime's bite without sweetening the mint.

Rum cocktail with Campari and pineapple

Glass: Old Fashioned

Garnish: Pineapple wedge

Dark rum's molasses depth meets Campari's bitter citrus over the back of fresh pineapple — the pineapple's enzymatic brightness keeps the Campari from reading aggressive, and the rum's funk matches the Campari's complexity sip for sip. Lime sharpens the fruit; the small simple syrup is a corrective, not a sweetener.

Non-alcoholic lavender bitters with lemon and honey soda

Glass: Collins

Garnish: Lavender sprig

A floral non-alcoholic cooler that uses lavender bitters to lift simple lemonade into something genuinely complex. The honey syrup bridges the floral and citrus elements, creating a mocktail with real structural sophistication.

Rye and Cynar cocktail with Peychaud's bitters

Glass: Coupe

Garnish: Orange peel

A stirred modern cocktail that showcases Cynar as a full modifier alongside rye whiskey and sweet vermouth, with Peychaud's bitters adding the New Orleans aromatic lift. Demonstrates the versatility of artichoke-forward bitter liqueurs in whiskey drinks.

Modern equal-parts cocktail with mezcal and Aperol

Glass: Coupe

Garnish: None

Equal-parts cousin of the Last Word — yellow Chartreuse where green sat, mezcal where gin was, Aperol replacing maraschino. Mezcal's smoke and Aperol's bittersweet citrus are unexpectedly compatible because both carry caramelised sugar in their cores; lime is the acid that holds them apart.

Mezcal and tequila old fashioned

Glass: Old Fashioned

Garnish: Orange peel

Reposado's barrel-aged caramel meets mezcal's smoke, with agave syrup as the same-family sweetener to keep the agave thread continuous. Mole bitters bring chocolate, chilli, and spice that flatter the mezcal's char; orange bitters lift the whole thing so the drink doesn't go single-note smoky.

Non-alcoholic Orleans bitters with cranberry, lime, and soda

Glass: Old Fashioned

Garnish: Lemon peel

Inspired by New Orleans Creole flavours, this non-alcoholic fizz uses Orleans-style bitters with their anise and cherry character to transform cranberry juice into something evocative of classic Sazerac territory without the alcohol.

Modern equal-parts cocktail with amaro and bitters

Glass: Coupe

Garnish: None

Four ingredients in equal measure works because bourbon's sweetness, Aperol's bittersweet citrus, Amaro Nonino's gentian-and-honey, and lemon's acid each occupy a different quadrant of the palate — none crowds the others. The result tastes elegant rather than busy because every component is doing exactly one job.

Scotch cocktail with honey and ginger

Glass: Old Fashioned

Garnish: Candied ginger

The Islay float is the trick — peat smoke enters through the nose on every sip while the blended Scotch carries the structure underneath. Ginger and honey are an old folk-medicine pairing that lemon ties together with acid, and the smoke transforms a sour into something that feels medicinal in the best sense.

Orgeat-based sour with Angostura bitters as base

Glass: Coupe

Garnish: Lemon peel

Inverting the role of bitters from accent to base spirit only works because orgeat's almond fat coats the palate against the gentian onslaught, and lemon cuts the medicinal edge. The 1/4 oz of rye is structural — just enough alcohol to carry the bitters' aromatics without letting the drink read as syrup.

Caribbean-style punch with aromatic bitters

Glass: Punch Cup

Garnish: Pineapple and cherry

Pineapple and orgeat both bring sweetness with body — pineapple's enzymatic brightness, orgeat's almond fat — and rum sits comfortably in the middle. Three dashes of Angostura push the drink past tropical-sweet into something with aromatic backbone, the spice anchoring the otherwise candy-leaning fruit.

Old Fashioned with Fee Brothers Walnut Bitters

Glass: Old Fashioned

Garnish: Walnut

Walnut bitters echo bourbon's barrel tannins and oak more directly than Angostura does, which is why the simple syrup carries less work here — the bitters are doing the rounding themselves. The result is an Old Fashioned that reads autumnal and a touch drier, with the nuttiness lingering on the finish.

Modern Negroni variation with Suze and Lillet Blanc

Glass: Old Fashioned

Garnish: Lemon peel

Gentian (Suze) replaces Campari's bitter orange; Lillet Blanc's floral-fruit replaces sweet vermouth's red-spice. The result is the same Negroni structure — botanical-bitter-sweet — translated into a paler, drier, more floral key. Gin remains the connector because its botanicals overlap with both modifiers.