Homemade Chocolate Bitters

If you’re looking to go beyond Angostura bitters for your cocktails but are having a hard time finding just what you need at your local liquor store, or if you just want more control over the flavors, making your own bitters is actually easier than you think. Try out this recipe for chocolate bitters and take your cocktail game to the next level.

Ingredients for Jar #1

• ½ cup cacao nibs
• 1 ¼ cups 101-proof bourbon

Ingredients for Jar #2

• 6 cardamom pods, smashed
• 2 tonka beans, cracked
• 1 cinnamon stick
• ½ vanilla bean, scraped
• 1 ¼ cups 101-proof bourbon

Ingredients for Jar #3

• 1 tablespoon gentian root
• 1 tablespoon sarsaparilla
• 1 teaspoon wild cherry bark
• 1 teaspoon quassia chips
• 1 teaspoon black walnut leaf
• 1 cup 100 proof rye whiskey

¼ cup simple syrup

Instructions

1. Start your infusions in three separate jars, which have been thoroughly cleaned. Simply combine the ingredients listed above into their respective jars and set aside for 5 days in a cool and dry spot, giving them all a shake every now and then.
2. After 5 days strain the contents of jar #3 through a few layers of cheesecloth or a coffee filter to remove all herbs and sediment. Return to a cleaned jar and store until ready to use. This is your bitters mixture.
3. After 10 days strain jars 1 and 2 the same way, but combine them into one jar for further aging. This is your aromatic mixture.
4. After 3 more days strain the two jars again, add the simple syrup to the aromatics jar and stir to combine.
5. Combine a few ounces of each jar into a fresh container, tasting as you go, to find the sweet to bitter ratio that you prefer. Once you’ve found the right balance pour off your concoction into a clean jar for one last rest. You’ll probably have some of the bittering agent leftover, which you can either discard or use for a different batch of bitters.
6. Let your bitters rest for one last week, strain one last time and distribute into bottles with droppers.
7. Mix up your favorite cocktail with your bitters and enjoy!