Bitters - BITTERS, OLD MEN -
Smoke Gets In Your Bitters Bitters
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BITTERS, OLD MEN - Smoke Gets In Your Bitters Bitters
Old Man Bitters, Inc., New York, New York
INGREDIENTS : lapsang souchong tea, asian pear, and burdock root
PROOF:
88 (44 %)
TYPE: Bitters Type 1, New World *
AGE: N/A
PRICE: $10.00 1 oz.
Notes:
One of a series of bitters from a relatively new company in New York City (although truth be told anyone other than Fee, Angostura, Underberg and Peychauds - all in business for over 100 years - is a relative newcomer). The company was started by by Zach Feldman a couple years ago after making homemade bitters as a project for a magazine article: he got bitten by the bitters bug. He went commercial almost one year ago - and hasn't looked back since.
The other bitters in the series are: Bitters,Old Men Gangster Lee'n Bitters, Bitters,Old Men Great in '28 Bitters, Bitters, Old Men Isaan Another Level Bitters, Bitters, Old Men Krangostura Bitters, Bitters, Old Men Papaya Bitters, Bitters, Old Men Prickled Pink Bitters, Bitters, Old Men, Roasted Macadamia Bitters , Bitters Old Men Peach Basil Bitters, and a Bitters, Old Men Restorative Tonic
*As a sidebar we are going to coin a new phrase (as of Sept 7, 2011) and use the term New World Bitters to describe bitters that are not a traditional company, style of flavor such as Angostura (the brand named after a town), Angustura (the actual ingredient in some bitters), Abbots, Bokers, Peychauds, Bitter Orange, Mint, Grapefruit etc., and are usually a new blend or hybrid of ingredients to distinguish them from the more traditional ones.
Appearance: A very dark, almost muddy appearance to it. Serious looking stuff here,very slightly oily body to it, translucent to opaque. Does not have the dyes others use to color to darken their bitters.
First Impression: Smokey, meaty, delicious! Seriously deep smoked pork/meat smell to them.
Taste: Reminds me of smoked German sausages, or the butcher shop they usually come from.
Drinks: Sake, Soju and Shochu work well with it, also adds some interesting flavors to Pisco drinks. Also worked well with oriental and tropical fruits including genepes (quenapas, mamons, etc.).
Bottle: Clear glass old-style bottle with built in glass eyedropper with attractive graphics on paper labels (which are rather difficult to read - tiny fonts).
Other: Interesting ingredients (see above); they use local ingredients whenever possible. . .
Final Thoughts: Down side for bean counting bar managers is cost. Yes, it costs four times as much as the cheap stuff - but take a look at our Bitter Math page to see how meaningless that is.
Website: http://bittersoldmen.com
Quick loading website - More of a placeholder than a proper site as such so far but does have some information and where to buy or order (always important). Seriously funny for those who have a at least slightly dark sense of humor.
