I am not the biggest fan when someone asks me what’s my favorite cocktail. First, to me the point is to try new things, so yeah my favorite might be the one in the obscure bar I haven’t even been to yet. Second, it’s mood and season dependent, no matter how good a steak, sometimes I want a fresh garden salad, and no matter how good a salad, sometimes I want 42 oysters. Third, I don’t even want to open the can of worms that follows with the whole “Oh, I expected a more X type drink”, it’s okay Jessie, it’s a drink not a horoscope, move on.
Now, with all my bitching set aside, I do have a default answer to this question nowadays. The answer is Trinidad Sour. It’s a wonderful and quite unique drink, and the main reason why I go through bottles of Angostura as if they are Aperol at a summer pool bar. Of course, I’ll drop a recipe for Trinidad Sour below, but today’s post ain’t ‘bout that.
The Educated Barfly YouTube channel has been a great source of inspiration for me, albeit sometimes sending me on a wild goose chase of an ingredient. Of course, I was stoked when one of the videos on the channel featured bitters heavy cocktails. In particular, the DLB (named after its creator Don Lee) piqued my interest as it was not just bitters heavy, but all the kinds of bitters heavy. Now, before I tire you out with endless bitters chat, pop off the dasher tops from your bitters bottles, and let’s get to the recipes!
Trinidad Sour
1.5oz Angostura bitters
0.5oz rye whiskey (Rittenhouse rye or Wild Turkey 101, aim for 45-50% ABV here)
0.75oz fresh lemon juice
1oz orgeat (homemade or Liber Co, other fancy brands might do too)
Combine all ingredients in a shaker and shake with ice. Double strain into a chilled Nick and Nora or cocktail glass, express lemon peel oils and garnish with a lemon twist.
The DLB
1oz Rhum Barbancourt (recipe calls for 8yo, but 4yo seemed fine to me)
0.5oz Fernet Branca
0.5oz Angostura bitters
0.25oz Peychaud’s bitters
0.25oz Angostura Orange bitters
0.5oz fresh lemon juice
0.5oz simple syrup
Combine all ingredients in a shaker and shake with ice. Double strain into a chilled Nick and Nora or cocktail glass.
Thoughts
I need to emphasize this: DO NOT TRY MAKING DLB WITHOUT ALL INGREDIENTS! I tried swapping orange bitters for orange liqueur, and nope it’s not good. I tried swapping Peychaud’s for absinthe, and like it’s okay, but still a no. Can you swap the rum base? Yeah maybe, I’d go for either a dark Demerara rum or something like rye whiskey. Still at the end of the day this drink is about it’s bitters, so don’t swap them out without trying and thinking deeply about what should work here.
Flavor wise both of these drinks are a lot… a lot of good stuff! I like the Angostura bitters and I think both of these allow the bitters to extend their flavor profile in an approachable way. The DLB in particular opens up a lot of orange bitters and Peychaud’s nuances that go beyond the two note tones that we can be used to in other cocktails. It’s hard to describe all that goes on in these drinks, so I highly recommend that you commit to trying them out.
On the other hand, those are definitely treat cocktails, which you probably don’t want to have more than once in a while and very much not one after another. Bold flavors demand respect and time, so don’t try to rush down those quickly. Let yourself enjoy the complexity and unique balance that these concoctions offer.
There is no poll here, but if you have any good bitters heavy cocktail suggestions feel free to comment them below, so that I can try them out in the future.