A well made and unique bitter that brings a lot to a drink without overwhelming it – delicate trick !
Notes: One of a series of bitters from a relatively new company in New York City The company was started by by Zach Feldman a couple years ago after making homemade bitters as a project for a magazine article: he got bitten by the bitters bug. He went commercial almost one year ago – and hasn’t looked back since.
The other bitters in the series are: Bitters,Old Men Gangster Lee’n Bitters,Bitters,Old Men Great in ’28 Bitters, Bitters, Old Men Isaan Another Level Bitters, Bitters, Old Men Krangostura Bitters, Bitters, Old Men Papaya Bitters,Bitters, Old Men Prickled Pink Bitters,Bitters Old Men Peach Basil Bitters, Bitters, Old Men Smoke Gets In Your Bitters Bitters and a Bitters, Old Men Restorative Tonic
*As a sidebar we are going to coin a new phrase (as of Sept 7, 2011) and use the term New World Bitters to describe bitters that are not a traditional company, style of flavor such as Angostura (the brand named after a town) , Angustura (the actual ingredient in some bitters), Abbots, Bokers, Peychauds, Bitter Orange, Mint, Grapefruit etc., and are usually a new blend or hybrid of ingredients to distinguish them from the more traditional ones.
Appearance: Very light yellow – like the color of a macadamia nut with a very slightly hazy appearance. Does not have the dyes others use to color or darken their bitters.
First Impression: Lightly nutty smell with a touch of other spices- smells like you just opened a can of fresh macadamia nuts.
Taste: Macadamia nuts, gingerbread, and gentian. Slightly oily, nutty mouthfeel to it with a pleasing but not overdone gentian root bitterness at the end leaving a pleasant drying sensation.
Drinks: Brown spirits, and also specifically a great addition to Tiki drinks adding a touch of nuttiness, ginger and other spices – never a bad thing in a Tiki drink.
Bottle: Clear glass old-style bottle with built in glass eyedropper with attractive graphics on paper labels (which are rather difficult to read – tiny fonts).
Other: They use local ingredients whenever possible. . .
Final Thoughts: A very nice, well-made and intriguing bitter that has never been attempted by anyone else. While subtle it has a number of unique and lovely tasting notes that should yield some nice nuance to your cocktails.
Website: http://bittersoldmen.com
