Artisanal bitters are all the rage these days, with no producer more hallowed than Fee Brothers. (I rely on their Orange Bitters religiously, so I’m a devotee.)
But I’d never tried Fee’s “Old Fashion Aromatic” Bitters until recently. Angostura’s always worked for me, so why change?
Well today I finally put Fee Old Fashion head to head against its forebear. Flavored with Angostura bark and other aromatics, it’s a clear homage to Angostura, and the aroma on its own is decidedly similar. The big difference: A cinnamon/allspice aroma that’s strong in the Fee but minimal in Angostura.
The cinnamon/allspice character follows through in mixed drinks pretty strongly. It was noticeably present in a Champagne Cocktail (a rather loathsome drink, really), and even stronger in a rye Manhattan. It also sweetened the Manhattan considerably vs. a version I made with Angostura. In the case of the Manhattan, I liked both renditions, but ultimately preferred the one made with Angostura by quite a margin, which was a more balanced drink that hung on to its rye core and wasn’t overwhelmed by spices.
Both bitters are good, but ultimately the original Angostura still has stands as a bar essential. The Fee Brothers will stick around for experimentation — I’m sure there are cocktails out there where it will outclass Angostura, I just haven’t gotten to them yet — but for now it plays second fiddle.
feebrothers.com
angosturabitters.com
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I totally agree with your assessment. I have yet to find a cocktail that works better with the Fee’s Old Fashioned than with the Angostura. What I would like to know is how the new Orange Angostura compares to Fee’s Orange. I’d pick up a bottle via Kegworks, but the shipping is ridiculous.
One nice thing abut Fee’s is that they are still a small company who care about their customers. They are friendly and work with you on a first name basis.
This is a great post even if I partially disagree with your conclusions. I don’t necessarily think a Manhattan made with the Fee Brother’s Old Fashion Bitter’s is better or worse, just different. Personally I like them made with either brand of bitters as either version has it’s virtues. My big plus for the Fee Brothers is the big hit of bittering from the gentian. I think my current favorite; and it’s certainly subject to my moods and whims is a couple of dashes of each in a Manhattan.
An interesting Ted Talk on why there isn’t one perfect recipe for anything is Malcolm Gladwell’s take on spaghetti sauce here – http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/malcolm_gladwell_on_spaghetti_sauce.html
Keep up the good work. You’ve got a great blog going.
Calamityville – True, true. And I expect the choice of whiskey would be important, too — Fee may work better with some, Angostura with others.
Try the Fee’s in something that plays well with the flavors — an applejack old fashioned really, really loves the cinnamon.
I agree that they’re really different. I’ve had the Angostura for a while, but just got a bottle of Fee’s, so just a change is a nice thing to begin with.
At least Fee Bros actually contain Angustora bark (read the label carefully on Angostura) they named that one after a town and not the ingredients .
Have you tried Fee’s Whisky Barrel Aged?
3 releases so far ( I reviewed all of them and compared them to each other) and a new one is due out early March 2010.
Also to add to the mix as it were Urban Moonshine has 3 totally organic bitters out too.
Keeps me off the street trying all this stuff.
At least it’s something to do till the snow melts.
Cheers,
Chris
Haha. I just found this while looking for fees reviews.
http://mcsology.wordpress.com/2010/03/20/my-dearest-fee-bros/
I love your blog! You always have very interesting and informative.Keep it up!