Notes: Fee Brothers has been in business since April 1,1864 in Rochester, New York. They have just recently celebrated their 150th anniversary and working on a major expansion. Along with being one of the few remaining manufacturers of bitters, they also are one of the largest bar mixes and supply firms in the U.S. and produce flavorings and syrups for coffee shops, restaurants, etc. This Cardamon Bitters is one of the classic flavors of bitters widely used in a proper cocktail. Based on an origin Bokers Bitters and similar in style to  Bokers Bitters but using a glycerin base instead of a whiskey.

Part of the almost demise of bitters in general is the sloppy research and omission of bitters in many modern cocktail books – many people say “They don’t use bitters in drinks anymore so why mention them to a recipe?” which of course just adds to the problem. If a book doesn’t mention bitters for at least martinis and manhattans don’t buy it ! It means the person who wrote it has no idea what they are doing and are perpetuating mediocre books and ignorance. Bitters blend the other ingredients together, add many layers and depths of flavor, and may even help your digestion.

Appearance: Dark red brown clear with almost the color of Turkish coffee.

First Impression: Very root or birch beer type scents with sassafras,minty and dark root notes balanced by cardamom and citrus.

Taste: Root beer ,mint, touches of vanilla and quassia, and of course cardamom. Bitter and slippery tasting (both from the bittering agents and the glycerin).Over all a somewhat concentrated ( and somewhat bitter) root beer/sassafras type or flavor. Much milder in flavor than Adam Elmigrabs Bokers Bitters

Drinks: Well, Planters Punch and a number of other classics such as the Crusta, Martinez, and Holland Gin Cocktail.

Bottle: Simple paper wrapped clear glass bottle, with a screwcap closure. It is distinguished from the other bottles by the cardamom/tan color of the printing and dark green colored shrink-wrap around the top and neck.

Other: Other varieties of bitters include: Aztec Chocolate, Cherry, Celery, Cranberry, Grapefruit, Gin Barreled Aged Orange Bitters (2014 release) , Lemon, Mint, Old Fashioned Aromatic (Angostura),(West Indian) Orange, Peach, Plum, Rhubarb, Black Walnut , and the Whisky Barrel series : Whiskey Barrel Aged 1 (2007) , Whiskey Barrel Aged 2 (2008),Whiskey Barrel Aged 3 (2009), Whiskey Barrel Aged 4, (2010), Whiskey Barrel Aged 5 (2011) and Whiskey Barrel Aged Bitters 8 (2014)

Final Thoughts: An interesting addition to any cocktailian’s bar supplies and necessary for a number of vintage cocktails calling for Bokers or Cardamom bitters – which is some classic cocktails including the Martinez   This product is one of a thankfully growing number of cardamom bitters to chose from depending on your particular tastes and requirements. Check our bitter math chart to see it really doesn’t cost that much more for a quality cocktail bitter on a per drink basis .

Website: http://www.feebrothers.com

A fairly simple and straightforward site. If you want to order bitters I would suggest either Amazon ( below) or Kegworks