What are the Best Bitters for Old Fashioned?

May 01, 2025

Did you know that in the early definitions of a "cocktail," the presence of bitters was absolutely essential? In fact, the classic Old Fashioned of the early nineteenth century demanded bitters as not just an addition but a defining component of the drink.

What are bitters? Well, it’s just like it sounds.

Bitters Explained

In mixology, bitters are highly concentrated flavoring agents made by infusing botanicals like herbs, roots, bark, fruits, and spices into a base spirit. This is usually a high-proof white alcohol. Bartenders use bitters to add depth, balance, and complexity to cocktails. Even a few dashes of bitters will dramatically change a drink's flavor profile by adding, yes, bitterness, but also aromatic intensity and subtle spice.

The term "bitters" dates back to at least the early 19th century, when they were originally marketed as medicinal tonics. Brands like Angostura and Peychaud’s became staples in cocktail culture by the mid-1800s. For example, Angostura bitters, created in 1824 by Dr. Johann Siegert in Venezuela, became crucial to drinks like the Old Fashioned and Manhattan.

Today, the range of bitters has expanded beyond the classic aromatic style. You'll find orange bitters, celery bitters, chocolate bitters, and even locally crafted varieties featuring unique regional botanicals.

Bottle Barn offers a hand-curated selection of bitters to enliven your home mixology. For the next time you buy alcohol online, the bitters for an Old-Fashioned cocktail could include these sumptuous concoctions:

Some Bitters to Use in Making Your Next Old Fashioned

Start with the classic, Peychaud Aromatic Cocktail Bitters. This is a gentian-based bitters with a bright anise and cherry flavor profile, originally created in 1838 in New Orleans and essential to the classic Sazerac cocktail, but also great in an Old Fashioned.

For a whiskey drink with bitters, how about Antica Torino Bitter Bianco, which will amaze you with its citrus aromas and fresh herbs with a hint of flowers and zest. The distillery assures us that among the many ingredients “are cinnamon, wormwood, orange zest, saffron, myrrh and aloe.” Wow!

Another classic found at Bottle Barn is the Angostura Aromatic Cocktail Bitters. Watch out, because this is a highly concentrated herbal bitters with bold flavors of clove, cinnamon, and allspice. It is widely used to enhance classic cocktails like the Old Fashioned and Manhattan.

For those who want a big citrus kick in an Old Fashioned, consider Regan's Orange Cocktail Bitters. This is a citrus-forward bitters with balanced notes of orange peel, cardamom, and caraway, created by bartender Gary Regan to add complexity and brightness any cocktail.

For a real treat, sample Foletto Bitters. It contains an amazing 26 botanicals! Alberto Foletto, a fourth generation pharmacist, tweaked his family’s 170-year-old formula. He changed botanical proportions and significantly increasing the infusion time.

Bitters’ Role in an Old Fashioned

In an Old Fashioned, bitters act as the essential bridge between the whiskey, sugar, and water. Blending them transforms simple ingredients into a balanced, complex drink. Without bitters, the cocktail would taste flat and overly sweet.

Bitters cut through the sugar’s sweetness and heighten the whiskey’s spice and warmth, uniting the through a sensation of cohesion and depth. A few dashes of Angostura, with its notes of clove, cinnamon, and cardamom, add the aromatic lift that greets you before you even take a sip. They also help maintain the drink’s historical authenticity. Without bitters, an Old Fashioned would simply be whiskey sweetened with water, stripped of the subtlety that made it a classic in the first place.

We hope you enjoyed learning about bitters from the best liquor store California! Please leave us a comment or question below.

How to Order Wine, Beer and Spirits for Store Pick-Up

Best Whiskey Brands: Top Picks Across All Types of Whiskies