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

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Brad Thomas Parsons (Author)
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Brad Thomas Parsons (Author), Ed Anderson (Photographer)
4.7 out of 5 stars 153 customer reviews
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Product Details

  • Hardcover: 240 pages
  • Publisher: Ten Speed Press; 1 edition (November 1, 2011)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1580083595
  • ISBN-13: 978-1580083591
  • Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 1.2 x 9.3 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (153 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #14,810 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Top Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 starsMerely good; it could have been great.
By Matthew B. Rowley on April 11, 2012
Format: Hardcover
From Rowley's Whiskey Forge:

It has become a cliché of modern bartending that bitters are to cocktails as salt is to soup. They are the seasoning, the ingredient that can turn merely acceptable drinks into stellar ones. Or, as one Filipino friend explained to another in a turn close to my heart, "Bitters are to cocktails as bay leaves are to adobo." You may or may not be able to pinpoint the taste, but without it, everything has a certain flatness.

If you already make your own cocktail bitters, chances are that Brad Thomas Parsons' recent book on the subject holds little new for you. On the other hand, if you're just starting to dabble or don't know where to begin, Bitters conveniently brings together a lot of material in one place. With no other bitters manual in print, one might even call it indispensable for the DIY cocktail enthusiast.

After some introductory remarks and history, Parsons dives into the meat of the matter with short profiles of some two dozen players in today's bitters boom: Fee Brothers, Bittermans, The Bitter Truth, Dr. Adam Elmegirab's Bitters, Bar Keep Bitters, Scrappy's, and more. Not a bad lineup considering that a decade ago, Angostura, Fee Brothers, and Peychaud's were the three remaining bitters producers that survived Prohibition. He includes recipes for thirteen bitters such as apple, orange, rhubarb, coffee-pecan, and root beer bitters. A substantial collection of cocktail recipes using bitters -- more than half the book -- rounds out the pages.

Parsons clearly has spent much time obsessing over bitters; he interviews appropriate authorities and booze pundits, he includes the right companies and products, and he hits the high points of history. He's done his homework. Yet there's a clumsiness about his writing.Read more ›
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3.0 out of 5 starsHistory is to this book as bitters are to...
By Scott Etter on April 21, 2012
Format: Hardcover
For a book that bills itself as "A spirited history..." this book is woefully short of interesting historical information. You do get a little, around a dozen pages worth, but even if you discount the early use of bitters in or as patent medicines or tonics, their place in cocktail culture deserves far better research and story telling that this book provides. Taking the case of Abbott's Bitters, which ceased production in the early 1950s, cocktail geeks far and wide have obsessed about the product for years, going so far as performing gas chromatography on samples and talking to surviving relatives of the producers. But the author apparently did none of that and only gives a couple of half-hearted paragraphs about a 1907 trademark lawsuit between the makers of Angostura Bitters and Abbott's before launching into a two-page personal anecdote about a bartender friend making him a Manhattan with the last of his antique Abbott's.

In a nutshell, that is either the strength or downfall of the entire book depending on your preference. The book is essentially a collection of recipes for several flavors of homemade bitters and an abundance of cocktails that make use of bitters. But most of the text of the book is a memoir of the author's personal experiences with and paean to the modern speakeasy (high-toned cocktail bar) and its place in today's foodie subculture. On that count, this book is reasonably well done. There is a lot of attractive photography of bartenders making beautiful looking cocktails. The writing isn't bad although it feels more like reading someone's blog than a professionally produced book.Read more ›
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5.0 out of 5 starsMore Than Just a Bitters Book
By T. Harty on January 5, 2012
Format: Hardcover
The title of the book is a bit misleading, because so much more than just some history of bitters and bunch of recipes. Everything from history to setting up your bar and mixology basics. This book is able to cover a wide variety of topics in a way that is surprisingly well focused and concise. The majority of the book is recipes (Bitters, Drinks and Food) and I can't help but to be impressed about the care taken with the them. Each one has a small introduction, with a little bit of history, a personal anecdote, or a little bit of whimsy that really helps the reader connect with the text. Nothing in this book is an afterthought or out of context filler like you see with so many drink books.

The book does go into comprehensive detail about the bitters available on the market today. The list is very comprehensive, even talking about fairly obscure Bitters such as BitterCube (Wisconsin). Brad goes out on a limb and makes a recommendation of the 11 comercial must have bitters for your cocktail bar. Once you have the feel for the commercially produced bitters you move on to how to make your own. The book breaks down the recipes into a very approachable format. If I were to have a criticism it's would be that there's only 13 actual Bitters Recipes in the book. However, I think overall the book leaves the reader with more than enough information to continue down the road of making bitters.

Who Should Read this Book: Drink Nerds, High Functioning Alcoholics with standards, Home-brewers.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 starsRead, mix, drink, read some more

Well-researched, interesting. I gave it as a gift and then read it myself.

Published 1 month ago by unfulfilled wishes
5.0 out of 5 starsgave this as a gift and it was very well ...

gave this as a gift and it was very well received. I took a look before wrapping it and may get another for myself.

Published 1 month ago by cliff northon
5.0 out of 5 starsThis is a great book for someone interested in bitters

This is a great book for someone interested in bitters. If you want to know what they are, their history, or even how to make them... start here. Read more

Published 1 month ago by Tj Nelson
5.0 out of 5 starsThis book delivers.

A very interesting read that definitely tells you the story of the cocktails’ unsung hero: the bitters. Read more

Published 1 month ago by Holly Gordon
5.0 out of 5 starsProcuring the ingredients is part of the fun. Great improvement to my...

Have made four of the bitters recipes. Procuring the ingredients is part of the fun. Great improvement to my cocktail making/drinking.

Published 1 month ago by Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 starsWonderfully informative and filled with history

Wonderfully informative and filled with history. Lots of beautiful photos and a great deal of recipes not just for cocktails but for making the bitters themselves!

Published 2 months ago by Rev
5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

My husband loves bitters, and is really enjoying reading the history etc..

Published 2 months ago by blackpoodle
5.0 out of 5 starsFar more than just pretty pictures of bitters bottles

Excellent overview of the history and use of bitters. Includes easy to understand instructions and recipes for making your own, plus a number of classic and modern recipes for food... Read more

Published 2 months ago by abbydabbadoo
5.0 out of 5 starsI feel like I have all the information I need now

Can't wait to start making my own bitters! I feel like I have all the information I need now!

Published 2 months ago by Janice Parcell
5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

Great book for those interested in bitters

Published 4 months ago by WG

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