House-blend Orange Bitters

Have the folowwing items:

Storage-ware

16 fl-oz. bitters dasher bottle & matching cap
(a used 16 fl-oz. Angostura^{™^{bottle is best)}}
printed label or masking tape
permanent marking pen

Tools

1-cup measuring pitcher
4-cup measuring pitcher
narrow-nozzled funnel

Ingredients

orange bitters #1 (for orange flavor)
: Angostura^™ Orange
orange bitters #2 (for bitter depth)
: Regan's^™ Orange No. 6
creme de Curaçao (for rich flavor of Citrus aurantium

: Briottet™ Curaçao Orange 25%-alcohol2

Instructions

Label the 16 fl-oz. bitters bottle.
Set the funnel into the bottle.
Into the bottle goes:

• orange bitters #1 — 1 cupfull
[2 small bottles (4 fl-oz. / 118 ml.)]
• orange bitters #2 — 5 fluid ounces
[½ of a 10 fl-oz. bottle]
• crème de Curaçao — 1 ponyfull
[1 fl-oz. / ~30 ml.]

Insert the dasher.
Cap the bottle.
Shake vigorously for about ten seconds.
Let the bitters fully debruise of aeration before using them.
Store these orange bitters as you would any other bitters.

1 House-blend orange bitters are recommended over any marketed orange bitters because: producers seem unaware that peel of Citrus sinensis cannot do the flavoring and bittering job of Citrus aurantium, the orange bitters that are bitter enough are not rich enough in orange peel flavor, and the orange bitters that have noticeable orange peel flavor are not bitter enough.

2 Briottet^™ 25%-alcohol Curaçao Orange is probably the only remaining high-quality crème de Curaçao still produced. It was also called Curaçao doux. That grade of Curaçao liqueur is the sweetest, which it must be to balance the profoundly rich flavor of the peel of the Curaçao orange, or Seville orange (both Citrus aurantium). It is a perfect example of the liqueur used in the best of drinks calling for "Curaçao" in the Golden age of Mixology before the year 1900. The Briottet product is nobly distilled from the peel of Citrus aurantium. It should be of shame to Hotaling that they opt not to import this product along with the other Briottet products they do. This product is the most important item to bring back from a trip to France, Be sure to get the 25%-alcohol version. The 35%-alcohol version is consistent with a later-style, drier, sec Curaçao liqueur and has, consequently, less richness of flavor from the peel of Citrus aurantium. Having good crème de Curaçao, and good orange bitters is worth the trip. Trying to make house-blend orange bitters as good as they should be without the single ponyfull of this endangered product is a dubious endeavor. If one simply must make better orange bitters than can be purchase, substitute with either the Briottet 35%-alcohol Curaçao product, or Senior™ Genuine Orange Curaçao.

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