Boston cocktail ingredients: bitters, vermouth, bourbon

The Wild Duck is a liquor store at 86 Massachusetts Ave in Boston, and we have pages for cocktail ingredients: bitters, vermouth and bourbon. You can look through them online and then visit us, order for pickup or delivery, or have a bottle shipped. Below you will find what each ingredient does, how to choose between styles, and when we are open.

Where can you buy cocktail ingredients like bitters, vermouth and bourbon in Boston?

You can buy cocktail ingredients at The Wild Duck, a liquor store at 86 Massachusetts Ave, Boston, MA 02117. We keep separate pages for Bitters, Vermouth and Bourbon, so you can start with the ingredient your recipe needs and work from there.

The shop carries more than 4,500 products from more than 700 brands, across wine, liquor, beer, ready-to-drink, mixers, snacks and merchandise. That means the base spirit, the modifiers and the mixers for a drink can come from one place.

We also serve Cambridge and Brookline, so you do not have to live in Boston to order from us. The Liquor Delivery in Cambridge, MA and Liquor Delivery in Brookline, MA pages cover those towns.

What do bitters and vermouth actually do in a cocktail?

Bitters are a concentrated infusion of botanicals such as bark, roots, citrus peel and spices. They are used a few drops or dashes at a time, and they add depth and a dry, aromatic edge that balances sweetness. A drink without them can taste flat or sugary.

Vermouth is a fortified, aromatized wine. It starts as wine, is strengthened with a neutral spirit, and is flavored with herbs and spices. In a cocktail it works as a second ingredient rather than a seasoning, which is why a Manhattan uses a measured pour of it.

The two do different jobs. Vermouth brings body and a wine-like sweetness or dryness, and bitters bring seasoning. Most spirit-forward classics need both alongside a good base spirit.

What kind of vermouth does your cocktail recipe need?

Match the vermouth to the style the recipe names. Sweet vermouth is red and rounder, and it is the choice for a Manhattan. Dry vermouth is pale and crisper, and it belongs in a classic dry martini. Bianco, or white, vermouth sits between the two: lightly sweet and floral, and often served on its own over ice.

On our shelf, the sweet and red styles include Carpano Classico, 9 Di Dante Sweet Vermouth and MARTINI ROSSI Rosso. For a dry style, look at Carpano Dry or 9 Di Dante Dry Vermouth. For a white style, there is Carpano Bianco.

If a recipe only says vermouth, read the other ingredients. A drink built on whiskey almost always means sweet vermouth, and one built on gin or vodka with an olive or twist usually means dry.

Which bitters work in classic cocktails?

Aromatic bitters are the style most classic recipes call for. They have a warm, spiced character with notes of clove, cinnamon and baking spice, and they go into an Old Fashioned and a Manhattan. Orange bitters are brighter and more citrus-led, and they suit a martini or a lighter stirred drink.

Bitters are measured in dashes, so a small bottle goes a long way. Add a dash, stir, taste, and add another only if the drink needs it. Too much will make the drink taste of bitters and nothing else.

You can look through our Bitters page before you visit. If you are making a drink for the first time, begin with the bitters the recipe names, because the quantities in the recipe were written around that bottle.

Which bourbon suits a Manhattan or an Old Fashioned?

Both drinks are stirred and built to taste of the whiskey first, so the bourbon matters more here than it would in a drink loaded with juice and soda. An Old Fashioned is bourbon, a little sugar and a few dashes of bitters, stirred over ice. A Manhattan is bourbon, sweet vermouth and bitters, stirred and strained.

Bourbon is an American whiskey made from a grain mix that is at least 51 percent corn, aged in new charred oak barrels. The corn gives sweetness and the new oak gives vanilla and caramel notes, which sit well against the herbal bite of vermouth and the spice of bitters.

Start with a bourbon that tastes good on its own over a single ice cube, because the vermouth and bitters will frame it rather than cover it. Look at the proof on the label: a higher-proof bourbon holds its character as ice melts into the drink, while a lower-proof one can taste thinner. Both make a good Manhattan. Browse our Bourbon page, or read our article on craft bourbon in Boston for more on how we think about the category.

Many bourbons carry no age statement at all, which is normal for the category. Where one is given, it tells you the age of the youngest whiskey in the bottle.

How long does an opened bottle of vermouth keep?

Plan to use an opened bottle of vermouth within a month or two. Because vermouth is wine-based, it oxidizes once it is opened, and after that it loses its aroma and starts to taste dull or stale.

Keep the bottle in the refrigerator with the cap on tightly. This is a common reason a home Manhattan disappoints: the bourbon is fine, but the vermouth has been sitting on a bar cart for a year. A smaller bottle you finish is better than a large one that fades.

Bitters are different. They are high in alcohol and used in tiny amounts, so a bottle lasts a long time at room temperature, away from direct sunlight.

How can you check what is on the shelf before you visit?

Open the Vermouth, Bitters and Bourbon pages on our website at wildduckliquors.com, or look at New Arrivals for recent additions. Our stock changes from day to day, so the website is the place to look before you plan a drink around a particular bottle.

You can also come to the store at 86 Massachusetts Ave and ask at the counter. Bring the recipe with you, or tell us the drink you want to make, and we can help you find the bitters, vermouth and bourbon that go with it.

If you would rather not make the trip, you can order for pickup, delivery or shipping. Our in-store pickup page covers collecting an order, and our Liquor Delivery in Boston, MA page covers delivery.

When can you stop by The Wild Duck or collect an order?

The store at 86 Massachusetts Ave, Boston, is open Sunday from 11:00 AM to 11:00 PM and Monday to Saturday from 10:00 AM to 11:00 PM.

Pickup hours are a little wider: Sunday from 10:00 AM to 11:00 PM and Monday to Saturday from 9:00 AM to 11:00 PM. Delivery runs Sunday from 10:30 AM to 10:30 PM and Monday to Saturday from 9:30 AM to 10:30 PM.

Our Frequently asked questions page has more on how ordering works.

How well reviewed is The Wild Duck?

The Wild Duck is rated above 4.5 out of 5 from more than 60 Google reviews. That is the rating as it stands today, and it will move as reviews are added.

A rating is only a rating, and it will not tell you whether a particular bottle suits your cocktail. For that, read the label, ask us what a bourbon or vermouth tastes like, and start with the style your recipe names.