Where Can You Buy Bitters?
This Bitters Buyers Guide is Part 3 in Cocktail Monkey’s Cocktail Bitter’s Guide.
Figuring out where you can buy bitters can be a huge pain. While there is a huge selection available they aren’t always easy to find. This post is the beginning of a directory. Over time we hope to collect a fairly comprehensive direcotry of places to purchase bitters and other cocktail tools.
In This Section
A Directory of Where to Buy Bitters Online
Bitters production around the world has exploded. There are more flavors available than ever. Unfortunately, they can be difficult to find in many places.
The good news is that most grocery stores will carry Angostura. If you live in a large metropolitan area someone will have a good selection of bitters. You should look in specialty liquor stores,
For more exotic flavors and brands start with specialty liquor stores. They often cater to bartenders looking for craft cocktail ingredients. Specialty food, delicatessens, and cooking stores often carry a selection of cocktail bitters. The following is a list of online stores that carry almost every imaginable variety of bitters on the market:
Where to Buy Bitters
Buy Bitters Online – USA
- Amazon.com
- AwesomeDrinks (Ships from New Hampshire)
- The Boston Shaker (Ships from Somerville, MA)
- Bitters and Bottles (Ships from the Bay Area, CA)
- Chefshop.com (Ships from Seattle)
- Cocktail Kingdom (Ships from New York, NY)
- The Hour (Ships from Alexandria, VA)
- KegWorks (Ships from NY)
- The Meadow (Ships from Portland, OR)
- Napa Valley Distillery & Vintage Barshop (Ships from Napa, CA)
- Pearl Specialty (Ships from Portland, OR)
Where Can You Buy Bitters Online – in Canada
- Amazon.ca
- Alambika (Montreal, QC)
- Cocktail Emporium (Toronto, ON)
- Silk Road Spice Merchant (Calgary, AB)
- The Crafty Bartender (Vancouver, BC)
- The Gourmet Warehouse (Vancouver, BC)
- Sips Cocktail Emporium (Vancouver, BC)
- Qualifirst (Vancouver, BC)
Where Can You Buy Bitters Online – Worldwide
- Bitters.com (Ships from Germany) – ships worldwide
- Drinksology (Ships from Belfast) – ships worldwide
- Nicks Wine Merchants (Ships from Australia) – ships worldwide
- The Whisky Exchange (Ships from London) – ships worldwide
- La Maison du Whisky / whisky.fr (Ships from Paris) – ships throughout Europe
- Bottlebusiness (Ships from Rijswijk, The Netherlands) – ships throughout the Netherlands and Belgium
- Only Bitters (Ships from Australia-NZ) – ships throughout Australia & New Zealand
Bitters Brands
Apothecary Bitters
The Apothecary Bitters Company is a small batch craft bitters producer based in Vancouver, British Columbia. In addition to the standard lineup of aromatic and citrus bitters, they have a couple of really interesting choices. Their Spirit Fire Cherry Cedar bitters are perfect for adding some distinctive west coast notes to your cocktail. Next, the Darkness Coffee bitters are also worth taking a look at.
Scrappy’s Bitters
Scrappy’s Bitters is based in Seattle. They were started by Miles Thomas, a local bartender, in 2009. Scrappy’s has quickly established itself as one of the more prominent bitters brands. You can find their take on the classics, Aromatic, Orleans, Orange and Grapefruit bitters. It’s worth noting that the Orleans bitters a decent substitution for Peychaud’s bitters. They also have a range of single flavor bitters. The lavender bitters and the cardamom bitters are both fantastic products to work into your recipes.
Fee Brothers
Fee Brothers has been making cocktail ingredients since the early 1800’s. They have a nice lineup of bitters flavors. Some of the more interesting ones in their arsenal are the Old Fashioned Bitters, Black Walnut and the Barrel Aged Bitters. Fee Brothers Barrel Aged Bitters are a limited edition whiskey barrel aged bitters. They are released once a year in the spring and they sell out quickly.
Bad Dog
Bad Dog bitters is a newer bitters producer from Austin, Texas. They make Sarsaparilla, Bloody Mary and Fire and Damnation Bitters. Their Sarsaparilla Bitters is one of my long time favorites.
Doctor Adam Elmegirab’s Bitters
Adam Elmegirab first gained notoriety for working his way through every recipe in Jerry Thomas’ The Bartender’s Guide: How to Mix Drinks or The Bon Vivant’s Companion. The project was tracked on the, now sadly defunct, Jerry Thomas Project blog. One of Jerry Thomas’ favorite bitters was Boker’s, a brand that had been extinct for nearly a century. After considerable research Adam Elmigerab recreated Boker’s Bitters based on an 1853 recipe and an old sample of the original. Boker’s Bitters are once again widely available. Now you can taste a Martinez that would be pretty close to one made in the 1880’s.
Hella Bitters
Hella Cocktail Co. produces a variety of cocktail bitters, mixers, and syrups in New York City. They also make DIY bitters kits to make it easy for you to make your own bitters.
Bittermen’s
Bittermen’s is one of the first of a new generation of bitters producers. They make their bitters in San Francisco. Bittermen’s has an extensive product line of both bitters and liqueurs. They first made a name for themselves with their Xocoatl Mole Bitters. They continue to produce some of the most innovative flavors on the market. The Bitter Truth
Amargo Chuncho Bitters
Amargo Chuncho Bitters are the traditional Peruvian choice for topping a Pisco Sour. These bitters are made with 30 botanicals and barrel aged for six months. They have been difficult to find outside of South America, but they are becoming increasingly common around they world.
The Bitter End
The Bitter End produces small batch handcrafted bitters in Santa Fe, New Mexico. They make a number of interesting flavors including a Thai, Morrocan and Curry Bitters.
Where Can You Buy Angostura Bitters?
Angostura Bitters are generally available in most grocery stores in North America. Bitters are non-potable alcohol. In other words, nobody drinks enough bitters to get drunk. Bitters are similar to vanilla extract or mouthwash. That means that anybody can sell them without a license. If you can’t find them at your local supermarket try a specialty foods store.
Where Can You Buy Peychaud’s Bitters?
Large grocery stores often stock Peychaud’s bitters as well. They are a lot more difficult to find and you should check your specialty food stores or boutique spirits purveyors first. They can be especially hard to find in stores in Canada and you probably need to order them online.
Where Can You Buy Orange Bitters?
Orange bitters are appearing more and more widely. You may see the Angostura brand orange bitters next to the classic Angostura flavor on grocery store shelves.