AROMATIC BITTERS
Aromatic bitters are great to use in certain cocktails and you can also use them to decorate your cocktails.
We love using Angostura Bitters in decorating our cocktails but find the dasher in the paper-wrapped bottle is difficult to use with precision. We do use droppers so we can accurately place the bitters in a specific place that we want and it also lets us control the amount that we are going to use.
The picture below is a Amaretto Sour that we decorated with bitters. You would need a delicate tool to drag the foam through the bitter drops. We used a metal cocktail pick for this, though a simple toothpick also does the trick. Never use the end of your eyedropper to drag the foam as it can contaminate your bitters.
You can also put your bitters on an atomizer and use it on a stencil. You can either make your own or use a store-bought stencil. Hold the stencil as close as possible to the surface of your drink (without touching the foam) and spray the atomizer around 3 to 4 inches away.
HOW TO MAKE A BITTERS STENCIL
Find an image you like. The complexity of the image would be up to you but I suggest getting a simple image to begin with.
Tape your desired image on a clear plastic (I use a lid from a food container they use for take out)
Trace your image using a fine point drawing pen
After tracing the image, you can cut out your image using an X-acto hobby knife. The reason why I am specific with this kind of knife is that it can easily cut into circular shapes unlike the regular cutter.
Wash the stencil with soap and water and it's ready to use!
OTHER WAYS TO DECORATE WITH BITTERS
Don't fret, you can still use bitters even without an egg white cocktail!
You can add some accent on the top: Bitters can make the appearance of your cocktail better by adding a few dashes on top of your shaved ice. Not only does it look pretty but bitters add aroma and complexity in your drink. There are a lot of bitters that are available in the market now. Our favorites are the Aromatic Bitters, Peychaud's Bitters and Regan's Orange Bitters.
Bitters on your seltzer or tonic: We have been using Aromatic bitters to decorate our highball or tonic-based drinks. Not only do they taste good, they look good as well! Here's how to do it: Use an eyedropper and gently place three drops of Aromatic Bitters on top of your drink then use your straw to gently swirl your drink. Watch your bitters swirl gently to the bottom.
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