Log In / Sign Up
HOME
>
RECIPES
>

Cherry-Vanilla Bitters Recipe

Cherry-Vanilla Bitters
Difficulty: Easy | Total Time: Under 5 mins, plus steeping time | Active Time: | Makes: About 3 cups

While some recipes for bitters call for gentian and other hard-to-find aromatics, you probably have almost everything you need to make this recipe on your spice rack. Round out your next Manhattan or Old Fashioned with a few dashes of this potent concoction.

Game plan: Simply straining the alcohol through a fine-mesh strainer will leave a few cloudy particles behind (which aren’t harmful). If you want completely clear bitters, strain through a coffee filter nested in the strainer.

The bitters will last indefinitely when stored in an airtight container in a dark spot.

This recipe was featured as part of our Bringing Bitters Back story, as well as our DIY Holiday Gifts Advent Calendar.

INGREDIENTS
  • 1 (750-milliliter bottle) 100-proof rye whiskey
  • 6 vanilla beans, split in half lengthwise
  • 1/2 cup dried cherries
  • 1 stalk lemongrass, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 2 star anise pods
  • 2 teaspoons anise seed
  • 1 whole juniper berry
  • 1 whole clove
INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Combine all ingredients in a quart jar with a tightfitting lid. Close and store at room temperature. Let steep 14 days, shaking the jar every other day.
  2. Strain alcohol from spices and store in a jar with a tightfitting lid in a dark place.
    Write a review | 17 Reviews
  • Cherry-Vanilla Bitters Recipe
    5

    can i use 80-proof rye instead?

  • As long as the alcohol level remains high I wouldn't worry about botulism. I would say as a rule of thumb don't use a higher volume of fresh fruit than liquor.

  • This recipe looks original like cherries-with-vanilla-ice-cream I picked out on gourmetrecipe.com and it was so delilious.I plan to try it this week with my daugthers.
    Thanks!

  • I really enjoyed making this recipe. I'm interested in trying other fruit instead of dried cherries. Anyone know whether this could increase risk of botulism? Or am I way off base to be concerned?

  • Thanks, Amy. Also thanks for the tip about this being a potable bitters recipe!

  • hellonellie, I suggest just using the 1 clove and 1 juniper berry. Neither flavor will take over or ruin your final outcome. However, keep in mind that this is a potable bitters recipe, meaning it can be sipped straight, unlike a non-potable bitter, like Angostura, where a little goes a long way - so 750ml may not take as long to enjoy as you think!
    Amy Wisniewski, CHOW test kitchen

  • Is there anyway to split this recipe in half? I'm concerned about the effect of splitting the juniper berry and the whole clove; 750 ml of bitters is a large yield.

  • Doesn't work to link it in the comment, try copy-paste instead...

  • Sorry! Try www.vanillafoodcompany.ca instead...

  • Go to www.vanillafoodcompany.com for your vanilla.

    Not affiliated in any way, but have had excellent experiences with them. Buying in bulk saves you TONS. My last purchase brought the price down to about $0.70 per bean (CDN). I've sold and given away more than half (easy to give away at that price), did a whack of Christmas baking and made 4 good sized bottles of the best vanilla and I STILL have a bunch of them left.

  • I was considering trying this until I saw the vanilla beans. 6? Good god. That's $60 worth of pods around here. Way too expensive to just try out for something I'll be using a drop or two of.

  • In Dale Degroff's book, he refers to the origin of the term bitters. He says that it most likely came from a term to mean seasoning, not necessarily bitter. Similar to the term spices today. They are not always spicy, but are still called spices.

  • The lemongrass and anise seed will lend bitter qualities.
    The star anise will lend the licorice scent and slight flavor. Afterall, it is what is also used in absinthe.
    If you think about it, orange bitters aren't really that bitter at all either.

  • Are those dried Bing (sweet) or dried Montmorency (sour) cherries?

  • maybe I am being pedantic, but there is no ingredient lending bitterness in this mix - these are pretty much all sweet flavors, so how can this really be called a "bitter"

  • 5 min??? Really? I guess if you don't count the straining time. For those of us who want our bitters to be a clear as possible(without spending a fortune on equipment), we know that when you use a coffee filter it takes hours not minutes.

  • I like the flavors in this, vanilla cherry, anise. I might have to try this one out. Thanks for the recipe!

Share with your friendsX