Bitters: A Spirited History of a Classic Cure-All, with Cocktails, Recipes, and Formulas Hardcover – November 1, 2011

I purchased this book as a gift, and then proceeded to read the entire thing once my Fiancee had unwrapped it. I picked it up out of passing interest and found myself reading the entire book in one go, aside from one chapter.I really love the history of bitters, with some general history of mixed drinks in general. At first I couldn't understand why there was a list of companies and their primary flavors, but once I began poking around online for bitters I understood. It's actually very valuable. The recipes are as well.Overall an excellent book. The physical quality of the book is also very nice. I hate dust covers and they didn't make me deal with one. They created a very nice, colorful, hardback book.

This was so much fun to read and very interesting. I plan to use several of the recipes in my own kitchen as well as seeing if I can try some of the drinks on the rare occasions I find myself in a bar.

Loosely speaking, I found this book divided into four sections. The first - and for me, possibly the least interesting - summarizes a bit of history of these botanical concoctions. They go back centuries, to eras when all medicine was herbal medicine, and medical effect was largely imagined or wishful thinking. That lead to wild (and sometimes hazardous) combinations of ingredients. Things like Coca Cola blurred the line between drug and foodstuff. Then, in the early twentieth century, a few things happened to change the market of herbal elixirs. Drug safety laws cut back the more extravagant claims of curing everything from acne to yaws, drug enforcement laws banished cocaine and opiates from the retail shelves, and then The Prohibition all but ended the use of flavorings in alcohol. Only now are bars recovering from the damage done by that unfortunate legislation.Against that backdrop, the second section really offers what I came for. It provides recipes for a range of bitters, and demonstrates common proportions of the least familiar ingredients. Given these as bases, and given the strongly stereotyped procedure for preparing the bitters, I'm eager to try a few, then go off on my own. (Maybe I'll try the cranberry bitters, alluded to but without recipe or suppliers.) The third section provides not just cocktail recipes from different eras of the American cocktail history, but a glimpse into the world of cocktail culture and community. Wow - some people take their tipple incredibly seriously. I can't complain too much, though, because these bold and dedicated explorers have made it possible for dabblers like me to get started. The book's fourth section interested me only a little, as the non-beverage culinary uses of bitters.Outside of the recipes, the lists of common (and uncommon) ingredients in bitters were very helpful, as were lists of suppliers. The latter might not be very useful years from now, but will help readers contemporary with the book's publishing. This brings together information from a wide range of sources, many of them historical, personal, and otherwise difficult to access. For someone like me, interested in the topic but not dedicated to it, this represents a unique resource for this very specialized corner of the culinary world.-- wiredweird, a bitters old manUpdate: Tested the orange bitters recipe. It has a fresher orange taste than any commercial product I've tried. Next time, I might boost the minor flavors and bitterness - not complaining, it's just that I mess with almost every recipe I try.

Perfect little bar book.

I'm writing this review as I sip a bourbon splashed with the book's rendition of coffee-pecan bitters, which I made (along with 4 other varieties) and have been enjoying over the last month or so.The book provides an approachable history of bitters and an overview of some of the brands still doing business. That stuff was interesting to a point, but I thought the author spent a little too much time showcasing products currently on the market.Personally, I'm more interested in making my own bitters than reading about the variety of things I can buy in the store. I purchased this book primarily for the DIY recipes. After making four of them (pear, Meyer lemon, cherry-hazelnut & coffee-pecan) and one I found online (celery), I feel like I've got a pretty solid grasp of the process and am looking forward to making my own concoctions from here on out.I would have liked to see more pairing suggestions for the various bitters recipes. As someone who's new to bitters generally, I don't feel like I was given enough suggestions for how to incorporate them into various cocktails.Four stars because this is a unique book and one I plan to keep in my collection for future reference. I think the material is better for bitters aficionados than for folks looking to DIY... but since there aren't many other recipe books out there right now, this could serve as a good primer for folks who are interested in making their own (until something more comprehensive comes out).

Good book

I love the resurgence of creative cocktail activity in cities and towns all over the world. Brad's book gives the reader an excellent historical account of the origins of bitters, their early uses, applications to cocktails, and some recipes for how to make your own bitters at home. I read it on a recent overseas trip and I found the historical information fascinating. Brad's recipes are easy to follow and give the reader the chance to experiment at home. I think this is a perfect book for your home bar or for anyone looking to learn more about such a critical component, essential to most cocktails.

I really enjoyed this book. It’s a fascinating history of bitters, as well as discussions about different craft bitter makers around the US and even around the world. I had no idea there was so much to know! I really appreciate the recipes and can’t wait to try them. It’s made me appreciate bitters even more!