Orange bitters
Encyclopedia
Cocktail
A cocktail is an alcoholic mixed drink that contains two or more ingredients—at least one of the ingredients must be a spirit.Cocktails were originally a mixture of spirits, sugar, water, and bitters. The word has come to mean almost any mixed drink that contains alcohol...
flavoring made from the peels of Seville oranges, cardamon, caraway seed, coriander
Coriander
Coriander is an annual herb in the family Apiaceae. Coriander is native to southern Europe and North Africa to southwestern Asia. It is a soft, hairless plant growing to tall. The leaves are variable in shape, broadly lobed at the base of the plant, and slender and feathery higher on the...
and burnt sugar in an alcohol base. Some cocktail recipes which traditionally contained orange bitters may now exclude that ingredient because it has not been available for some time. Orange bitters, which is not to be confused with Angostura bitters
Angostura bitters
Angostura bitters, often simply referred to as angostura, is a concentrated bitters made of water, 44.7% alcohol, gentian root, and vegetable flavoring extracts by House of Angostura in Trinidad and Tobago. They are typically used for flavoring beverages, or food...
, is currently enjoying a resurgence among cocktail enthusiasts. For many years, it was difficult to find orange bitters in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and elsewhere. Fee Brothers
Fee Brothers
Fee Brothers, also known as "The House of Fee by the Genesee since eighteen hundred and sixty-three", is a four generation old manufacturer of cocktail mixes, bitters, flavoring syrups, iced cappuccino mix and other beverage ingredients. The company is currently run by Jack Fee and his children...
of New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
has been producing them for many years, but distribution was limited.
Mixologist Gary Regan created an orange bitters in the 1990s to fulfill his needs for a "decent bottling of orange bitters".
There are now a number of different brands on the market.