The first thing to know is that we’re not selling Bittermens Bitters yet.

Why aren’t they being sold yet?

Bitters fall under a sort of “grey area” under the Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms regulations. Bitters can be classified as either potable or non-potable. Potable means drinkable - and bitters such as Fernet Branca, Campari and Aperol fall into this category and require stores to be licensed to sell alcohol in order to sell them.

Bittermens bitters fall into the non-potable category - meaning that though they’re edible, you can’t actually drink a glass of it (or even a spoonful). Angostura, Fee Brothers and even vanilla extract fall into this grouping and can be sold in any grocery store without licensing. Non-potable bitters have the benefit of being treated more like a food product - which means we do not need to be licensed, bonded and insured as a commercial distillery.

The issue is that there doesn’t seem to be an objective definition of what is potable or non-potable when it comes to bitters. What we have to do is send the government a sample and complete description of our ingredients and process. They’ll review the formula, sample the product and then determine if it’s potable or non-potable. If they classify it as potable, we can tweak the recipe and re-submit it.

While we work our way through licensing with the ATF, we’re still actively working with bartenders and the cocktail media to get feedback on the formulations - supplying lab samples for review.

As a point of disclosure - Bittermens, Inc. is purchasing taxed spirits to use at the base at retail, macerating it with herbs, spices and fruit. There is no further distillation or fermentation used as part of the bitters making process. Bittermens, Inc. does not accept any money for lab samples of the bitters.

Focus Bartenders:

Without these bartenders providing constant feedback and support, we never would have been able to put together such interesting bitters formulas…

Phil Ward - Death and Company (Manhattan NY)
It was Phil who first challenged us to come up with a formulation for a Grapefruit Bitter. Since then, the team at Death and Company has put a few cocktails using Bittermens Bitters on their menu.

Brian Miller - Death and Company (Manhattan NY)
Brian has been at the center of two formulas - the Squirrel Nut Bitters, which was designed as a bitters version of his Buffalo Soldier - and the ‘Elemakule Tiki Cocktail Bitters, designed to support his growing repertoire of tiki drinks.

John Gertsen & Ben Sandrof - No. 9 Park (Boston MA)
Not only have John Gertsen and Ben Sandrof been promoting the bitters amongst the Boston bartending community, but Colin Lynch did us the honor of creating an amazing meal that featured the Grapefruit, Xocolatl Mole and Squirrel Nut Bitters - each paired with an expert cocktail also featuring the bitters. Grapefruit played with both Scottish salmon and a Little Bitter Bastard, Xocolatl Mole paired beautifully with short ribs and a Greenpoint cocktail and the Squirrel Nut Bitters supported a perfect seared Foie Gras and a chilled Sauternes.

Sam Ross & Michael McIlroy - Milk and Honey, Manhattan NY
Sam Ross and Michael McIlroy have built a number of cocktails that showcase the bitters. As Milk and Honey doesn’t use menus, ask either of them for a Left Hand or Right Hand cocktail.

Jackson Cannon & Tom Schlesinger-Guidelli - Eastern Standard (Boston MA)
The winter menu features the Absinthe and Old Lace. Kubler Absinthe, egg white, cream and Xocolatl Mole Bitters come together with some other special surprises to make a very interesting melamine-colored cocktail.

Misty Kalkofen - Green Street (Cambridge MA)
What isn’t there to love about Misty and the rest of the team at Green Street? Amazing food and fantastic cocktails all served up with the casual atmosphere of a corner bar. We wish Green Street was in our neighborhood.

We thank the bartenders at the following bars who are helping us refine the products:

In Boston:

No. 9 Park - (Xocolatl Mole, Grapefruit, Squirrel Nut, Tiki)
Green Street - (Xocolatl Mole, Grapefruit, Squirrel Nut, Tiki)
Eastern Standard - (Xocolatl Mole, Grapefruit, Squirrel Nut, Tiki)

In Manhattan:

Death and Company - (All the core types and the Curo 13)
Milk and Honey - (All the core types)
Little Branch - (All the core types)
The Randolph - (All the core types)
Bourgeois Pig - (Xocolatl Mole)
Tailor - (All the core types)

In London:

Montgomery Place - (All the core types)
The Lonsdale - (All the core types)
Milk and Honey - (All the core types)
The Purple Bar @ The Sanderson Hotel - (All the core types)

In San Francisco:

The Alembic - (Xocolatl Mole, Grapefruit)
Absinthe - (Xocolatl Mole, Grapefruit)
Coco 500 - (Xocolatl Mole, Grapefruit)

Special Thanks

Special thanks go out to:

Chris Ravlin
A great friend who helped with some of our initial logistical planning for Bittermens

Dave Kaplan and Ravi DeRossi
The team behind Death and Company for providing business guidance and support

Mayur Subbarao
For providing the legal support necessary to build Bittermens, Inc.