I have been wanting to experiment with infusions for a long time, but am usually too lazy to do much of anything that doesn’t involve the television by the end of the day.  My husband has recently turned me on to Rye Manhattans (which he brings me while I watch television), and he has been experimenting with a few different flavors of bitters in his recipe. The orange bitters is particularly delicious, and this got me thinking that I could make my own infusions using whatever types of flavorings and spices my little heart desired.

For my three infusions, I used:

1.                                              2.                                                 3.

Orange Zest                            Juniper Berries                         Blackberries

Cinnamon                               White Peppercorn                   Fennel Seed

Star Anise                               Allspice

Vanilla Bean                            Lime Zest

Grapefruit Zest

I found this post on Drink Dogma to be the most thorough resource regarding flavorings, and the author even includes several suggestions for what sound like wonderful combinations. There are abundant (and varied) bitters recipes on the internet, but as with any internet recipe, you probably want to do some comparing and contrasting to make certain you are on the right track. The process is relatively simple once you have found all of your ingredients.  Some of the more unusual items can be gathered (I found the juniper berries on a walk) or ordered online.  I found almost all of the spices in the bulk section of my local Whole Foods.

In 30 days, these elixirs will be complete and I will be happily working on some cocktail recipes!  In the meantime, why don’t you start making some bitters in your kitchen?