Ale Bitters
Ingredients
Directions
Steep
Combine the ale, gentian root, and fresh lemon peel in a container.
Let the mixture steep for 10 days.
Strain and bottle
Strain the mixture through a bag.
Bottle and cork the bitters for use.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Ale
- Liquid base that draws bitter and aromatic compounds out of the botanicals during steeping.
- Gentian root
- Provides the intense bitter flavor that defines the bitters.
- Fresh lemon peel
- Adds citrus aroma and flavor from its volatile oils.
The step that matters
Steeping for the full 10 days. Extraction is slow and gradual, so the bitter and aromatic compounds from the root and peel only build up over the whole steeping period. Stopping early leaves the flavor weak and underdeveloped.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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