Review: Bitters Lab Club
There are wine clubs, cocktail clubs, and spirits clubs… why not bitters clubs?
Bitters Lab is the brainchild of a Utah food professional who’s turned her eye to making uniquely flavored bitters: “bitters for everyone; from the novice home-bartender or baker, to seasoned chefs and of course, those in the bar industry.”
Bitters lab has a core offering of four year-round flavors: Aromatic, Charred Cedar + Currant, Habanero Lime, & Apricot Vanilla, and it releases seasonal bitters in time with the seasons. These are particularly available to members of the Bitters Lab Club, a subscription box that (unfortunately) appears to be on hiatus right now.
We didn’t receive the year-round products for review but did get a peek at a recent seasonal: peach & cayenne, bottled as “Autumn Equinox.” Admittedly we are as far from the autumn equinox as we can get, but as we know, bitters never go bad, so why worry!?
Autumn Equinox is perfectly delightful: peachy, with a sultry cardamom bent to it. The cayenne doesn’t hit you for a while, then a rush of heat arrives for just a couple of seconds on the finish. So, good stuff all in all — and Bitters Lab includes cocktail and food recipes that include its products, along with items like swizzle sticks and paper umbrellas. That said, deciding on a cocktail to make because you have the right bitters on hand is a bit like deciding to cook a steak au poivre because you have pepper in the cabinet, but don’t let Bitters Lab’s recipes be a lead weight on your foot. Experiment by subbing in these bitters in your favorite cocktails and see what you discover.
The year-round products are $22 for a 4 oz bottle. The current price for the subscription club is NA.
