Ever since the first anarchic soul back in the 1800s added ANGOSTURA® bitters to a lump of sugar, poured a tot of whisky over it and called it a cocktail, the two sublime elixirs have been recognised by cocktail cognoscenti as a marriage made in heaven.
As the whisky cocktail that started it all, the Old Fashioned is the simplest and most iconic, soon followed by the Manhattan (a similar recipe but with the addition of vermouth).
Both classic cocktails call on ANGOSTURA® bitters for a very good reason…
- We talked to three innovative South African bartenders to find out what happens to the flavour profiles when you mix the two, what their favourite classic whisky cocktails are, and how they are innovating and taking the tradition of whisky cocktails forward into a new era.
Flavour profiles in the mix
Most mixologists agree that the flavour profiles of a good whisky only get better with a dash of ANGOSTURA® aromatic bitters. “It adds a lot of depth and complexity – I like to call it anchoring,” says AJ Durow of Blank pop-up bar. “It’s almost like adding salt to your food… adding ANGOSTURA® bitters to your cocktail really plays well with the oaky notes from any whisky, and with the sweet vanilla and caramel notes that you get from the barrels.”
There’s a reason why ANGOSTURA® has been a fixture on the bartender’s shelf for going on two centuries. “It fills an essential role in a balanced cocktail,” says Matthew Cox of Queens, “working as a bittering agent to counteract sweetness or acidity, and acting as a binding component.”
And it works particularly well in combination with whisky, adds Aimee Donofrio of Smoking Kills, “It has an incredible ability to bridge the flavour gap between a whisky and other ingredients in a cocktail, enhancing the complexity while creating a
cohesive balanced drink. This being said, ANGOSTURA® aromatic bitters is also a flavour amplifier which brings forward corresponding flavours in the whisky and cocktail, while cutting through the richness and harshness that can be associated with whisky.”
Classic whisky cocktails
As the original classic whisky cocktails, the Old Fashioned and Manhattan are still stalwarts of the cocktail scene today, but there are several more classics that have evolved over from those early favourites. Donofrio adds the Whisky Sours and the Boulevardier to her list of favourites, while Cox also loves the Manhattan’s Scottish cousin, the Rob Roy (using scotch instead of bourbon), and the Sazerac (rye whisky, absinthe, and bitters).
Which whisky goes with which ANGOSTURA® bitters?
When it comes to deciding on a particular whisky and bitters combination the possibilities are seemingly endless. “ANGOSTURA® bitters gels with practically any whisk(e)y,” says Cox. “However my favourite combinations are ANGOSTURA® aromatic bitters with bourbon or Islay whiskies, ANGOSTURA® orange bitters with younger Scotch whiskies and Irish product, and ANGOSTURA® cocoa bitters with sherried Scotches.”
Donofrio has also been riffing on the three ANGOSTURA® bitters flavours, “Lately, my favourite combinations have been using a peated whiskey like Laphroaig 10 year old paired with ANGOSTURA® cocoa bitters, for a rich warming winter cocktail,” she says. “And I’ve been pairing Tullamore Dew XO Rum Cask with ANGOSTURA® orange bitters to bring out the floral notes of the whisky.”
Taking whisky cocktails forward into the future
Without innovation not even the classic cocktail would have come into being. The cocktail scene is fluid by nature, with so many ways to ring the changes in a whisky cocktail, and there’s a lot happening in today’s bar scene.
“I love doing a good fat wash on a whisky and I love doing infusions with ANGOSTURA® bitters. It’s a really nice base to play around with,” says Durow. “My current favourite would be a wagyu fat-washed Old Fashioned with a gochujang infused ANGOSTURA®.”
Cox has also been experimenting with the ways he uses ANGOSTURA® bitters in cocktails, “I’ve been having fun infusing the bitters, as well as converting it into a
rinse (a light coating of the inside of the glass before the cocktail is poured), or a spray, to add aromatic depth to the cocktail without the addition of bitterness within the glass.”
Smoking Kills is a rum bar, with most cocktails based on that spirit, but lately Donofrio says she has been enjoying split base cocktails (cocktails made with two different spirits instead of just one). “I’m also playing with rum cask whisky and whisky cask rums (a current favourite is the Havana Club Cuban Smoky) which allow guests that enjoy a specific spirit to move out of their comfort zones while still experiencing something familiar.”
In whichever direction our mixologists’ experimentation is taking the next generation of whisky cocktails, it’s certain that ANGOSTURA® bitters (in all three variations) will be right alongside on every step of the journey.
For more information on the Angostura range and delicious food and cocktail recipes please visit www.angosturabitters.com.
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