Wild Hunt Bitters

Wild Hunt Bitters is a bottle of cocktail bitters from Esplanda. The product details don't list a flavor profile, ABV, or botanical makeup, so what follows describes how bitters in general behave and how to use them. Treat the first sip as the real tasting note. Bitters are concentrated and not meant to be drunk by the glass. They are dosed in dashes, and a few drops can change a drink's balance, adding dry, herbal or spiced bitterness that offsets sugar and rounds out spirits. Expect something intensely aromatic with a bitter finish. Because the strength is unknown, start with one or two dashes and adjust from there. The classic use is as a modifier in stirred drinks. In an Old Fashioned, two or three dashes over a sugar cube or a teaspoon of syrup and a measure of bourbon or rye is the standard template. The same approach suits a Manhattan, a Sazerac-style drink, or a rum or aged-tequila old fashioned. You can use it alongside a house aromatic bitters, or in place of it when you want a different accent. Garnish with an orange or lemon peel expressed over the glass. Bitters also work without a full cocktail. A few dashes in a tall glass of soda water or tonic over ice make a dry, low-sugar refresher. A dash in a Negroni or a gin and tonic adds another layer of bitterness. Serve cocktails in a chilled rocks glass over a large cube, which melts slowly and keeps the drink from thinning too fast.