Notes: Fee Brothers has been in business since April 1, 1864 in Rochester, New York. They celebrated their 150th anniversary  a few years back and added major expansion to their Joseph Avenue Headquarters. Along with being one of the few continuous  manufacturers of bitters ( one of the few torchbearers of the industry and indeed one of the very last in the United States before the bitters explosion a few years back ) , 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 Lime  Bitters is one of their more modern creations which in my humble opinion falls somewhere between a Cocktail Flavoring  ( as they indeed call all their bitters – including the more ones with a more legitimate claim to be called a bitter  but I digress) and what I would call a proper bitter.

Part of the almost demise of bitters in general was the sloppy research and omission of bitters in many ” modern” cocktail books ( a very dark period stretching in my opinion from say the mid 1960′ to the early 2000’s)  – many people said at the time “They said  don’t use bitters in drinks anymore so why mention them to a recipe?” which of course just added to the problem. If the  book didn’t mention bitters for at least martinis and manhattans didn’t buy it ! It means the person who wrote it had no idea what they are doing and are perpetuating mediocre books and ignorance. This has to some degree finally changed in some circles with the better books calling for bitters and there are even books written about bitters themselves these days. Bitters blend the other ingredients together, add many layers and depths of flavor, and may even help your digestion.

Appearance:  Clear with a viscous, oily texture.

First Impression: The lime has a rather bitter tang to it combined with  glycerin, dumbing them all down to an odd aromatic coupled with some of the other

Taste: . Bitter, rather pithy and slippery tasting (the lime seems to be mostly bitter and odd tasting, and slippery from the glycerin). Over all somewhat of a disappointment.

Drinks: I’m afraid I can’t suggest any uses for this stuff. Use a real lime for the Gods Sake !

Bottle: Simple paper wrapped clear glass bottle, with a screwcap closure. It is distinguished from the other bottles by the bold viridian  graphics and color of the printing and a dark forest green  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 , Molasses 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)