Many bartenders liken bitters to spices used for cooking—add a few dashes and, just like a home-cooked meal, an okay cocktail becomes next-level. And while some bitters may sound odd (tobacco, anyone?), once you have a sip, the quest to identify that flavor keeps you coming back for more.
Take the Wood Smoke, which is designed to capture a winter campfire in the woods. The bitters lend different aspects of pine and wood, providing both the top notes of pine needles and the more bass notes of the pine wood and sap, says creator James Grant, director of mixology at Fairmont Royal York hotel in Toronto. Maple and mushroom flavors help soften the smokiness of the whisky, which provides a rich, aromatic backbone to the cocktail, he adds.
Stir it up and enjoy until the bitter end.
Wood Smoke
- 1 3/4 oz. Johnnie Walker Black Label (or any smoky blended scotch)
- 1/2 oz. candy cap mushroom-infused maple syrup (recipe below)
- 3/4 oz. oloroso sherry
- 2 dashes Ms. Better's Cypress Bowl bitters
- 1 dash Somber & Amer Arbor bitters
- Lemon peel, for garnish
Add all ingredients to a mixing glass with ice and stir 15 seconds. Strain into a chilled rocks glass over a large block of ice. Garnish with lemon peel.
Candy Cap Mushroom-Infused Maple Syrup
- 1 3/4 cup maple syrup
- 3/4 cup boiling water
- 1 tsp. dried candy cap mushrooms
Add syrup to boiling water and stir to combine well. Add mushrooms and allow to cool to room temperature. Strain into a bottle. Keep refrigerated for 2 weeks.
