Any prohibition-era uses for bitters in drinks sans alcohol?

Watching Rachel open a champagne bottle? *swoon* :-)

The original recipe is 2 parts rye to 1 part sweet vermouth, and go easy on that bitters - 2 shakes is plenty.  Of course I drink Brandy Manhattans, so what do I know.

- an ex-bartender

GREAT segment. Next year make it a "celebration" of tax day. You just may have gotten the cherry out of my Manhattan. But they are homemade so it's hard to imagine!

Love the tip about the cherry! Never take precious space away from the booze.

Rachel makes a great manhattan, which is to say, just the way I make them.  Makes me smile.  Ok, I confess, I use Makers Mark instead of rye.  I would have a couple of Manhattans with Rachel any day.  I got extra large martini glasses just so there would be room for the cherry.

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for telling your viewers that you need RYE whiskey in order to make a proper Manhattan. You would do the drinking public a tremendous service if you would chastise on the air the vast majority of American bars that do not stock rye whiskey. (Have your staff check it out; here in the Midwest at least they don't seem to have any idea what rye whiskey is.) They will force a bourbon or Canadian blend on you when you order a Manhattan, and it's just not the same. When made correctly, a Manhattan is my favorite drink, but in order to make it correctly, I usually have to have one in the privacy of my own home, where rye whiskey is always available. And THANKS for showing us what a champagne cocktail is. I wondered for years what Paul Henreid and Claude Rains are drinking in "Casablanca." Now I know. Rachel, you have become an ESSENTIAL voice in our media, for your honesty and your courage and your liberal viewpoint. You make us proud.

Thanks to your show, I'm currently enjoying a rye Manhattan, 2:1 ratio with Dolin sweet vermouth and a few dashes of Fee Brother's Whiskey Barrel-Aged bitters. One of my favorite drinks, though I admit that your 3:1 preference might be a bit too "stiff" for my tastes, at least on a work night. I will also admit that, while I love rye, I am not a rye purist--I think Knob Creek bourbon makes a wonderful Manhattan. But yes, historically speaking rye IS the proper choice. Alas, sometimes personal taste trumps history (cue the old adage about learning the rules before learning how to break them). That said, kudos to you for dropping some much needed cocktail science on your illustrious program. Cheers!

Manhattans make me mumble.

Truly a great segment!!!! No, bitters do not go into all cocktails. You would not think of putting bitters in a Martini, a Daquiri (sp?) Between the Sheets, Sidecar, etc,etc. On the other hand, one must always put the bitters in an Old Fashion. As a professional bartender from the old school I really enjoyed watching you make a Champagne Coctail the way it should be made. Yes, its proper to saturate the sugar cube!!! By the way, A Champagne Cocktail with Cognac(not brandy) is called a French 75. Named after a cannon. This is one of my favorites on holidays. Oh yeah, another of my favorites, the Manhattan. True, the original was a 3 to 1 ratio, just like the Martini. Most folks these days tend to like them a little drier. The Manhattan made with dry vermouth is of course called a dry Manhattan. My favorite is a Perfect Manhattan, made with a combination of sweet and dry vermouth. Oh yeah, the cherry. For sure leave it out. Some say, in times passed they had formaldahyde in them. In the dry and Perfect Manhattans use a lemon twist. Rim the glass with it before twisting it into the drink and inserting. You will undoubtably see the oil from the twist spray into your cocktail. It makes a world of difference. Last but not least, theres the Rob Roy. Really nothing more than a Scotch Manhattan. Use your favorite ratios on all these wonderful cocktails. Oh my god!!!! I almost forgot!!! Never, never, never shake that Martini!!!! You must always stir. Forget all about James Bond. He had to keep his cool as we all know. he needed his drinks very weak and watered down. Thats what shaking a cocktail does. When shaken you get at least an ounce or two of water. Yuk!!!! Stir please and strain. A metal container is better than a glass one. Use a good quality olive or a twist of lemon. Cheers.

My favorite use for Angostura bitters is in Pisco sours (three parts Pisco -- Peruvian -- two parts sugar syrup or Goma, one part fresh lime juice, and an egg white for every two drinks or so, depending on the size of the drink; blend with ice, pour into old-fashioned sized glasses, and top each with a few drops of Angostura bitters). Glad to hear Angostura is back; my local grocery started substituting another brand of bitters which also has a label too high for the bottle.

I love the full frontal cocktail nerdity on display. I have one point in regard to Rachel's comment that people who put cognac in Champagne cocktails are wrong.

From a technical standpoint, this is correct. However, I'd like to point out that Charles H. Baker, world traveler and bon vivant wrote about a drink almost identical to the Champagne cocktail in his 1939 book Jigger, Beaker, and Glass. In the book he points out the the recipe above with the addition of cognac is actually a completely separate drink entirely named "The Maharajah's Burra Peg".

So while the people who make a Champagne drink with cognac are "wrong", they are still enjoying a historically valid and interesting drink with a different(and awesome!) name.

Also, the French 75 is gin and Champagne, not cognac or brandy.

All bow before the Mighty Mixmeister (Mixmeistress? Meh!) Maddow!

Practice, practice, and pract

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Thanks Rachel for laying down the law! Those people are wrong! And it's high time that someone laid down the law. If you put brandy in your champagne cocktail, that's great, it's just not a champagne cocktail, so give it a different name!

But in light of the Angoustura crisis, I would like to offer a little bit of advice. An alternative to Angoustura bitters is Peychauds Bitters, from Louisiana. According to contentious and not at all reputable cocktail lore, Armand de Peychaud, progenitor of said bitters, was the one who invented the cocktail, mixing the first Saezerac with Peychaud's bitters. They have a lighter more orange taste and rich vermillion color. They are worth looking for, especially if you are a serious mixologist. While Peychauds can often be substituted for Angoustura, Angoustura can never be substituted for Peychauds.

Another Bitters ironically under appreciated by Americans is Campari. I say Ironically, because this Italian Orange Bitters (similar in flavor to Peychauds) is the principle ingredient in an Americano, which apparently no Americans drink. (I've bartended for quite some times, and never had to make one...).

Who knew there were hundreds of definitions for and types of bitters? I just checked the listing on wikipedia. Rachel, I think they need a little help from you.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bitters

What I read there differs a lot from the way people describe how they use it. How many 'wrong' people can there be? (rhetorical)

Congratulations on the way you're opening a Champagne bottle! That was perfect! I grew up in a family who worships good Champagne and considers mixing Champagne with any other drink as a major sacrilege but your Champagne cocktail sounded good. Using other good "méthode champenoise" wines for making cocktails was okay with the family though and thinking of that I was wondering if you knew some French sparkling wines called "Crémants".

There are some very good "Crémants de Bourgogne" and "Crémants d'Alsace" which do wonders in cocktails. Just like champagne they are AOC wines (meaning their origin, type of wine, method of production are strictly regulated) but they are a bit less pricey and yet they all have a unique character. They're a very nice alternative to real Champagne.

A very nice cocktail to make if you have several guests is a "Marquisette" (literally "Little Marchioness"). Use a bottle of Crémant (or any other good sparkling wine), half a bottle of sparkling water, a glass of Curaçao (or Grand Marnier - size of the glass depending on your taste), strawberries, grapes and/or tangerines thinly cut. Prepare it a few hours before serving (keep it in the fridge) et voilà! If you use real Champagne (**gasps**) instead of sparkling wine, it then becomes a “Marquise” (Marchioness). This cocktail is a favorite of family gatherings here (I live in south Burgundy).

Hmmm... Now I feel I should try making some adding a dash of Angustura to it, it might be a very nice twist to the recipe!

Santé! :-)

I enjoyed watching your cocktail demonstrations. I even enjoyed how much you freaked out over Angustura Bitters. But what really got me was how you cited yourselves (writers) on Angustura Bitters' Wikipedia page hours after the show. Kudos!

Girl to be with you is my favorite thing, Yeah Uh Huh Yeah. I can't wait til I see you again Yeah Yeah Uh Huh Uh Huh. I wanna put on my my my my my my boogie shoes, just to boogie with you Yeah. I wanna put on my my my my my boogie shoes, just to boogie with you, Uh HuH. I wanna do it til the sun comes up, Oh Yeah Uh Huh Uh Huh.......I totally wanna see Rachel end the show doin a jig to this tune! PLEASE! haha.

Thank you for a most wonderful segment on cocktails. My favored Manhattan recipe is the "Perfect," which uses 1/2 sweet and 1/2 dry vermouth.

Angostura bitters is a lovely product, and not having it on hand causes a feeling akin to showing up for the dissertation defense naked and in a state of deep brain freeze. However! It's just one of many worthy concoctions of the bitters persuasion; a perfectly wonderful line of nine varieties comes from Fee Brothers near the shores of Lake Ontario (in Rochester). ( http://www.feebrothers.com ) Their "Old Fashion Bitters" serves very very well in many classic cocktails; the Orange Bitters was a component of the original Martini recipe and is essential (along with Plymouth Gin) when concocting same for my consumption.

Cheers!

Not sure if I ever saw or heard of anyone take their mixed drinks this seriously. Awestruck with you persnickety ingredients and mixing instructions kinda like Bond " shaken not stired" In my opinion you have to be the guru of cocktails

In your spare time maybe you could write a book on "How to mix the Booze" Again very impressed with your skills

Rachel, thank you for this segment! My partner and I are big fans of yours; we were both out of the room when your segment started, but when I walked back in and saw you making a Manhattan, I screamed for Al to come running back to the TV! The Manhattan is Al's signature drink--it's his first drink ordered whenever he goes out to eat or plays trivia at the bar. He has also trained many a bartender around the world over the years as to the correct way to make this drink (you'd be surprised at how many ways bartenders make it!).

If you ever pass through Manchester, CT in your travels between NYC and Nhmp, drop us a line--Al's hangout, The Adams Mill Restaurant, makes a pretty good Manhattan (due to Al's demanding specifications--they even make sure he has his drink waiting for him when he walks in on those trivia nights)--we'd love to buy you a Manhattan sometime!

No one in Raleigh-Durham has answer why no Bitters to be found in this area for several months now. Long-time rumor about Bitters is that it was served to WWI wounded to improve appetite.

I am overwhelmed by the interest and enthusiasm displayed by ya"ll for the Manhattan and the use of bitters. Being from the "old school" of bartending (circa 1959, Washington D.C.) I have another concoction very few will be familiar with, I think. Try sometime using Fernet Branca as a substitute for the Angostura Bitters. Not all liquor stores will have it. It is god-awful tasting by itself but is quite popular for curing hangovers. It is now becoming popular in San Francisco in cocktails and is a favorite in Argentina. According to Wikipedia it is used by some for menstrual cramps. Also, according to Wikipedia, the original French 75 was made by using Champagne and Cognac. It is true however that most recipes call for gin. Cognac being made from wine seems to be more "couth" to add to Champagne (also a wine) in my not so humble opinion. And Rachel, I too appreciate you showing folks how to properly open a bottle of bubbly. Cheers

Thank you for being a Cocktail Girl ! And not just a person who drinks.
I enjoy a great cocktail made properly as well. I find that most people a) make there cocktails super-sized, much like the rest of things found in the US. The Cocktail was typically designed around a single shot of booze. b) serve things in improper bar ware. This just takes the enjoyment out of a good Cocktail. Drinks just LOOK and FEEL better in the right glass. c) fail to use proper proportions and thus don't comprehend and/or appreciate what the original Cocktail they are attempting to make is supposed to taste like in the first place.

I am glad you are keeping up those traditions. So, thank you again Rachel, for your lessons, I know your fans are enjoying your teachings.

Keep up the good work, and enjoy your Cocktail.

I'm having a "TRMS" themed cocktail party -- anyone wanna join? Found a TON of Rachel's demonstrations from Jimmy Fallon, Martha Stewart, TRMS, howdini.com, etc...

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