5 to Try: Cocktails with House-Made Bitters

by Fred Schlatter - Citysearch Contributor - 311 Reviews - 33 Lists

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Updated: July 08, 2009

Move over, fruit-infused liquor. The new must-have cocktail staple for the DIY bartender is house-brewed bitters. Originally medicinal, bitters--made from custom blends of herbs, roots, spices and fruit, steeped in alcohol--found their true calling at the bar, where a few drops help to round out a cocktail's flavor. Ambitious 'tenders at bars and restaurants around Chicago are making their own versions of the aromatic tonic, and while the recipes might be closely guarded, a taste can be had in any of these signature drinks. – – (Photo: The Violet Hour by Jasmin Shah)

Bitters Cocktails

  1. 1 4 Star Rating: Recommended Custom House
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    500 S Dearborn St, Chicago, IL 60605 (map)

    Popular demand earned the refreshing, citrus-heavy Gin Daisy ($12) a permanent spot on Custom House's roster. Bartender Kelly Jordan loosely based the bracing drink on a gimlet (gin and fresh lime juice) but takes a detour with the addition of a careful dose of house-brewed Meyer Lemon Bitters and a dash of potent Chartreuse (Vert).

  2. 2 4 Star Rating: Recommended Nacional 27
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    325 W Huron St, Chicago, IL 60610 (map)

    Adam Seger's Chicha Sour ($10) starts off like any Pisco Sour with the namesake brandy and fresh lime but takes a drastic turn with the addition of chicha--a Latin American infusion featuring purple corn, pineapple and spices. Egg whites deliver that coveted frothy espuma bartenders go on and on about, and Seger's signature Bitters 27, with extracts of ginger and Brazilian rosewood, rounds things out.

  3. 3 5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended OTOM Restaurant
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    951 W Fulton Mkt, Chicago, IL 60607 (map)

    The bar at Otom, manned by Greg Buttera, catalogues 20 different bitters, all formulated in-house using 190-proof grain alcohol. Case in point: the Jersey Turnpike ($9), an assertive but balanced cocktail of Laird's Applejack, Carpano Antica vermouth, Benedictine liqueur, absinthe and root beer bitters made with sarsaparilla and gentian (a plant whose roots have historically been used in tonics). And the name? Buttera dreamed it up after a multi-month road trip.

  4. 4 5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended Drawing Room
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    937 N Rush St, Chicago, IL 60611 (map)

    Charles Joly kicks off his innovative cocktail list with The Drawing Room Manhattan ($13) for good reason. The updated classic is everything a good cocktail should be: satisfying from the wallop of Templeton Rye, a tad sweet from quality vermouth and maraschino and a bit mysterious from a few drops of secret house-made bitters.

  5. 5 4 Star Rating: Recommended The Violet Hour
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    1520 N Damen Ave, Chicago, IL 60622 (map)

    Toby Maloney riffs on a classic Pisco Sour with the Violet Hour's popular Iron Cross ($11). The drink achieves complexity with house-made summertime bitters, with strong notes of grapefruit and lavender. A base of Pisco (a type of grape brandy), fresh lemon juice and simple syrup gets body from a whipped egg white.