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 Molasses 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: Dark but brown clear with a viscous, oily texture.

First Impression: The nutmeg and molasses make for odd companions with the glycerin, dumbing them all down to an odd aromatic with the coffee to give it a overall somewhat more herbs and chemicals smell

Taste: Nutmeg, coffee grounds  and of course molasses. Bitter and slippery tasting (both from the coffee, sulfur in the blackstrap molasses   and slippery from the glycerin). Over all a somewhat burnt caramel concentrated and spiced up, and frankly more than a bit vile in my opinion.

Drinks: I’m afraid I can’t suggest any uses for this stuff

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