DIY Cherry Bitters Recipe (2024)

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With little effort you can create your own version with ingredients uniquely tailored to your taste.

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Marcia Simmons

Marcia Simmons

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Updated August 24, 2023

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DIY Cherry Bitters Recipe (1)

In This Recipe

  • What's Available to Buy?

  • Why DIY?

  • Use It!

Why It Works

  • One recipe can make enough bitters to last years and is worth the effort and cost.
  • You can customize the flavorings to your own palate.

Asking me to pick my favorite co*cktail is sort of like asking parents which of their kids is the best. It's a hard question to answer, but deep in my heart, I know. Sorry, Sazerac and Martini, even though I love you so, theManhattanis easily my favorite drink. So I was surprised that a simple change to this classic drink made me love it even more.

Swapping in cherry bitters for Angostura bitters gives a Manhattan a subtle yet delightful boost, adding a hint of fruit while still delivering the bitterness that the recipe needs. You, too, can harness the power of cherry bitters to improve your favorite co*cktail—or even coax a so-so drink into realizing its full potential.

What's Available to Buy?

Cherry bitters aren't as ubiquitous as Angostura, Peychaud's, or orange bitters. Fee Brothers Cherry Bitters are the ones I usually see at places like BevMo, but other than that it's either a specialty store or special order situation. Woodford Reserve makes a spiced cherry bitters that I've heard is (not surprisingly) perfect in Manhattans. I haven't gotten my hands on any yet, but I've heard good things about it. Lots of small-batch producers offer cherry bitters—Miracle Mile Sour Cherry bitters and AB Smeby's Cherry Vanilla bitters are two of my favorites. But not every corner store has those, and they're not cheap.

Why DIY?

Since you only use a dash or two of bitters at a time, a little bottle lasts forever. So if you make a small effort to steep some herbs, bark, and fruit, you'll get a homemade, tailored-to-your-taste ingredient that could grace your home bar for years.

Handmade bitters are often worth the hefty price tag, but you can make quality bitters at home and have fun doing it. Also, even the most artisanal of artisans doesn't know whatyoulike as much as you do. Maybe you love a hint of cinnamon or a touch of chamomile in your co*cktail. I can't get enough anise, but you could be more of a clove person. With a little experimentation, you can create cherry bitters as unique as your palate.

Use It!

Homemade cherry bitters really liven up aManhattan, but that's not the only co*cktail you can use them in. Try them anywhere you'd use Angostura: in well-known drinks like aBrooklyn,Old Fashioned,Champagne co*cktail, orRob Roy.

You can also try them in unique recipes like Milk & Honey'sDutchessor Beloved'sThe Henry. Or you can try a cherry twist on a drink many bartenders swear by: Soda water with a few dashes of bitters.

January 2013

Recipe Details

DIY Cherry Bitters Recipe

Prep15 mins

Active10 mins

Infusing Time504 hrs

Total504 hrs 15 mins

Serves360 servings

Makes1 1/2 cups

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups cherries or3/4 cup dried cherries

  • 1 cup 151-proof neutral grain spirit, divided

  • 1 whole star anise, crushed

  • 1 teaspoon fennel seeds

  • 1 tablespoon lemongrass, cut in small pieces

  • 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped

  • 2 cardamom pods, crushed

  • 1 teaspoon gentian root

  • 1 teaspoon quassiachips

  • 1 cup rye whiskey

Directions

  1. Put the cherries in a sealable glass jar with 1/2 cup of the neutral grain spirit. Be sure this jar is large enough to later hold an additional 1 1/2 cups of liquid. Shake. This is your cherry flavoring.

  2. Put the anise, fennel, lemongrass, vanilla, and cardamom in a different sealable glass jar with remaining 1/2 cup of the 151 neutral grain spirit. Shake. This is your spice mix.

  3. Put the gentian root and quassia chips in a sealable glass jar with the rye. Shake. This is your bittering mix. Set all jars aside in a dark place at room temperature.

  4. After 10 days, strain the spice mix and bittering mix through a fine-mesh sieve to remove the solids. Strain again through coffee filter into the cherry flavoring jar. Do not remove cherries. Shake. You now have one jar that contains the strained spice mix and bittering mix along with steeping cherries and alcohol. Let this steep for an additional 11 days.

  5. Strain out cherries through a fine-mesh sieve, and then strain the rest through coffee filter into your desired container. Store at room temperature for up to one year.

Special Equipment

3 mason jars, fine-mesh sieve, coffee filters

Notes

Gentian root and quassia chips can usually be found at specialty herb stores. You can also order them from Lhasa Karnak.

I used Everclear 151 for my neutral spirits base. If you cannot find this in your area, you can substitute the highest proof vodka available to you.

  • co*cktails
  • Cherry
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
4Calories
0g Fat
0g Carbs
0g Protein

×

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 360
Amount per serving
Calories4
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g0%
Saturated Fat 0g0%
Cholesterol 0mg0%
Sodium 0mg0%
Total Carbohydrate 0g0%
Dietary Fiber 0g0%
Total Sugars 0g
Protein 0g
Vitamin C 0mg0%
Calcium 0mg0%
Iron 0mg0%
Potassium 0mg0%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

DIY Cherry Bitters Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is cherry bitters made of? ›

Cherry bitters use anise, fennel seeds, lemongrass, vanilla, and more to create a sweet-and-sour impact that pairs perfectly with rum or whiskey-infused co*cktails. Put the cherries in a sealable glass jar with 1/2 cup of the neutral grain spirit.

What are the ingredients in bitters? ›

What are Bitters Made of? Bitters are a neutral alcohol infused with spices, herbs, fruits, roots, and other ingredients. Common ingredients include cinchona bark, gentian root, cascarilla, orange peel, and others. Most bitters are 35 to 45% ABV (alcohol by volume), so they have a relatively high alcohol content.

Can you make bitters yourself? ›

Making your own bitters for co*cktails, as we've detailed above, isn't too dissimilar from brewing tea. By steeping aromatics and flavoring agents in vodka, the alcohol extracts the flavors and creates a delicious mix-in for any drink.

Do cherry bitters need to be refrigerated? ›

On average, bitters last around 5 years.

However, there's no need to refrigerate bitters. Even though there are organic compounds in bitters, the amount of alcohol acts as a natural sterilizer and preservation agent. So, feel free to leave it on your bar cart or in your liquor storage cabinets without having to worry.

What are the four types of bitters? ›

In 1870, Siegert's three sons migrated to Trinidad and established the bitters as an essential ingredient in co*cktails and food. With four bitters variations: Aromatic Bitters, Orange Bitters, Cocoa Bitters, and Amaro Di Angostura, Angostura is a staple for bartenders and professional and home cooks.

Does Fee Brothers cherry bitters have alcohol? ›

Even Fee Brothers bitters, which many believe are alcohol-free because their base is glycerin, not high-proof vodka or some other neutral grain spirit, actually do contain alcohol.

Why are bitters not illegal? ›

government classifies it as a non beverage product. Because people use bitters not as a beverage, but as a flavoring agent. They use a few dashes at a time.

What is the best alcohol to make bitters with? ›

No matter what kind of recipe you're concocting, all bitters should be created with high-proof liquor. This means liquor that is 50% alcohol by volume (ABV) or 100 proof. Vodka or grain alcohols, like Everclear, tend to work the best.

What herbs are used to make bitters? ›

Here are some aromatics typically used to make bitters: Herbs and flowers: mint, sage, lemongrass, peppermint, sorrel, lavender, chamomile, hibiscus, passionflower, yarrow, rose, milk thistle, and valerian.

Are bitters bad for your liver? ›

Because of the gut-brain connection, not only can bitters enhance digestion, but they can reduce depression and improve mood. They also support your liver's natural detoxification processes, and thus can improve skin health.

Is it safe to drink straight bitters? ›

For the most part, while bitters are great as a co*cktail enhancer, they shouldn't be something you consume on their own.

What is cherry bitters? ›

Description. Ingredients: Alcohol, water, natural flavors (Gentian root, cherry, spices) Product Description: Bitterness of Natural Gentian Root, the sweetness of cherry and notes of spice. Application: Flavoring co*cktails.

When should bitters be avoided? ›

However, consuming bitters when you don't have digestive issues may actually lead to digestive problems. This includes acid reflux, nausea and an upset stomach. So digestive bitters shouldn't be casually added to your daily routine if you don't need any relief from digestive distress.

How long do bitters last once opened? ›

Once open, exposure to oxygen will cause the bitters' flavour to change, while heat will cause evaporation of the alcohol. Stored in a cool, dry location, you could in theory keep the same bottle for five years or longer. It won't spoil or be harmful to your health.

What is the purpose of drinking bitters? ›

Bitters give your drinks complexity and depth of flavor. Bitters are a required ingredient for many popular co*cktails. Just like digestive bitters, co*cktail bitters are wonderful for the stomach and can aid with digestion.

Are bitters an alcohol? ›

Bitters are technically alcoholic, and they're usually between 35% to 45% ABV. Because they're sold in such small bottles and their flavor is so strong, most recipes call for just a dash or a few drops, making its overall alcohol contribution negligible, and why you don't need to be 21 or older to buy them.

Are bitters just tinctures? ›

Bitters are herbal tinctures that originated in the apothecaries of old-world Europe. They are specific barks, roots, and herbs that have been infused in alcohol, and then used in dashes or drops to enhance flavor in drinks and food as well as for their health benefits.

Are bitters made of nuts? ›

Walnuts are often used in bitter potions. The leaves and hulls (the pulpy green covering of the shell and nut) have been employed for centuries as treatments for ailments both internal and topical. Nocino is made from unripe walnuts combined with herbs and spices, then steeped in grain alcohol.

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