Taste for bitter, sour cocktails reviving bygone drinks

By Richard Leong

NEW YORK Tue Dec 16, 2014 3:38pm IST

Tweet Link this Share this By Richard LeongNEW YORK (Reuters) - Cosmopolitan and other sweet cocktails may still rule, but a revival of drinks flavored with bitters and laced with vinegar is catching on beyond trendy bars and lounges.Beverage experts say bartenders are... Email Print Related Topics Lifestyle » PICTURE GALLERYPictures of the year: Aerials

Images from above in 2014.  Full Coverage 

Best of India 2014Pictures of the year: EnvironmentJingle Ball in New YorkPictures of the Year: EntertainmentPictures of the year: Space» More slideshows

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Cosmopolitan and other sweet cocktails may still rule, but a revival of drinks flavored with bitters and laced with vinegar is catching on beyond trendy bars and lounges.

Beverage experts say bartenders are looking for inspiration with less sugary concoctions that are decades, even centuries, older than the Manhattan and Old-Fashioned.

They have also been exploring the use of vegetables and unconventional ingredients such as browned butter to bring modern twists to drinks that had faded in popularity.

"That's how the wind has been blowing," said Kevin Denton, the creative bar director at the restaurant Alder in New York. "There has generally been a backlash against decades of overly sweet cocktails."

Three centuries after reaching the United States, drinks known as shrubs, whose origin can be traced back to ancient Turkey and Persia, have enjoyed a renaissance.

The tart drinks, spiked with vinegarized fruit and vegetable juices, were prevalent during Prohibition in the 1920s in the United States because they were served without alcohol. They became passe with the advent of refrigeration that helps produce stay fresh, according to Michael Dietsch, author of the book "Shrubs."

Bitter drinks also have long histories. Scientists have traced to ancient China and Egypt the use of herbs and other bitter elements in alcohol for medicinal purpose as well as pleasure.

Campari and Fernet-Branca are today's staples of bitter alcohol, and Dietsch said the Negroni, a cocktail that contains campari, is making a resurgence.

Bartenders are also creating a new generation of bitters with other ingredients such as celery seeds and mole, a Mexican sauce.

"Bitters is one of the flavors that has been deeply explored. The second stage is the nuance of bitters as modifiers," said Alex Day, co-owner of the bar Death & Co in New York.

To a lesser extent, salty cocktails have re-emerged, as bartenders experiment with hardier vegetables when the supply of locally grown berries, citrus and other fruits dwindles in winter.

The Denver restaurant Oak at Fourteenth has served pumpkin puree-based soda and cocktail.

"You are using what's in the kitchen in the bar, pushing the envelope on what's going on, what's out there," said Bryan Dayton, Oak's owner and beverage director.

While vegetable purees seem gimmicky to some connoisseurs, there is little doubt the comeback of bitter, sour and salty cocktails is not a fad.

"I don't see it coming to a close anytime soon," Denton said.

(Editing by Patricia Reaney and Steve Orlofsky)

FILED UNDER: Lifestyle Tweet this Link this Share this Digg this Email Print Reprints Trending On Reuters #searchInterceptResults {display:none;}#searchInterceptResults.wResults {display: block;} EntertainmentRingo Starr, Lou Reed among 2015 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees

Former Beatles drummer Ringo Starr, the late rocker Lou Reed, punk group Green Day and singer Bill Withers are among the 2015 inductees named on Tuesday to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  Full Article 

Filmmaker Polanski's lawyers seek sex crime case dismissal - U.S. newspapersRogen defends satirizing North Korean leaderCosby's wife defends him from sex assault claimsVideo: Miss World reacts to title winPizza master tosses pie-making secrets in book #social-links {background-color: #f8f8f8; border: 1px solid #d5d5d5; margin-bottom: 20px; padding-bottom: 8px; float:left;}#social-links h3 {font-size: 14px; text-transform: none; text-align: left; padding: 8px; margin: 0;}#social-links ul {clear:both; margin:0; padding:0; width: auto; padding: 0 9px; float:left;}#social-links li {border: 1px solid #e5e5e5; background-color: #ffffff; width: 64px; height: 64px; float: left; margin: 0 5px 0 0; padding: 0; text-align: center;}#social-links li.last {margin-right: 0;}#social-links li.facebook {background: #FFFFFF url(/resources_v2/images/btn_social_link_facebook.gif) no-repeat center 10px;}#social-links li.twitter {background: #FFFFFF url(/resources_v2/images/btn_social_link_twitter.gif) no-repeat center 10px;}#social-links li.rss {background: #FFFFFF url(/resources_v2/images/btn_social_link_rss.gif) no-repeat center 10px;}#social-links li.youtube {background: #FFFFFF url(/resources_v2/images/btn_social_link_youtube.gif) no-repeat center 10px;}#social-links li a {font-size: 11px; font-weight: normal; padding-top: 40px; display: block;}Follow ReutersFacebookTwitterRSSYouTubeREUTERS SHOWCASEIndia bans IS

India bans Islamic State, hunts for sympathisers.  Full Article 

Italian Marines Case

Supreme Court dismisses marine's plea to extend stay in Italy.  Full Article 

Rationalizing Taxes

India moves closer to GST implementation.  Full Article 

Sydney Seige

Police storm Sydney cafe to end hostage siege, three dead.  Full Article 

Women's Safety

Women feel no safer in Delhi, two years after notorious gang rape.  Full Article 

Health Crisis

Drug-resistant malaria: the world's next big health crisis?.  Full Article 

Gabba Test

Captains in the spotlight for Gabba test match.  Full Article 

Dirty Money

Developing nations losing record $1 trillion a year in dirty money - report.  Full Article 

Sex Crime Charges

Bill Cosby's wife defends him from sex assault claims.  Full Article 

Reuters India Mobile

Get the latest news on the go. Visit Reuters India on your mobile device   Full Coverage 

#captionContent {z-index: 1;}#articlePackage .feature p{font-size: 13px !important;margin: 0 6px 8px !important;}#articleContent .column2 .module {border-top: 1px solid #CCCCCC !important;margin: 0 0 10px !important;}#articleContent .column2 .module .moduleHeader{padding-top: 0!important;}#articleContent .column2 .module .moduleHeader h3,#articleContent .column2 #articlePackage .module .moduleHeader h3,#articleContent .column2 #articlePackage .module .moduleHeader h3 a{font-size: 14px !important;}#articleContent .column2 .module .moduleHeader h3,#articleContent .column2 #articlePackage .module .moduleHeader h3{padding: 8px !important;}#articleContent .column2 .module .gallery.feature h2{margin: 0 6px 4px !important;}#articleContent .column2 .module .feature h2{margin: 0 0 5px !important;}#articleContent .column2 .feature h2{margin: 0 0 5px !important;}.adVantage{display: inline-block;clear: both;float: left;} START News Content Page Tags 'Text' | 'Picture' | 'Slideshow' | 'Video' ie. articleId ie. articleId ie. headline for article ie. headline for article END News Content Page Tags  Edition:INArabicArgentinaBrazilCanadaChinaFranceGermanyItalyJapanLatin AmericaMexico RussiaSpainUnited KingdomUnited States

Back to top

Reuters.comBusinessMarketsIndiaTechnologyOpinionMoneyPicturesVideosSite IndexMobileMore from Reuters Reuters News Agency Brand Attribution Guidelines Delivery OptionsSupport & ContactSupportCorrectionsConnect with ReutersTwitter  Facebook  LinkedIn  RSS  NewslettersAboutPrivacy PolicyTerms of Use AdChoicesCopyrightOur Flagship financial information platform incorporating Reuters InsiderAn ultra-low latency infrastructure for electronic trading and data distributionA connected approach to governance, risk and complianceOur next generation legal research platformOur global tax workstationThomsonreuters.comAbout Thomson ReutersInvestor RelationsCareersContact Us 

Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests.

NYSE and AMEX quotes delayed by at least 20 minutes. Nasdaq delayed by at least 15 minutes. For a complete list of exchanges and delays, please click here.

Share

& Comment

Tweet