Adding homemade bitters to your cocktail repertoire is an easy way to set yourself apart from the frozen-margarita crowd (usually the same people who hang out with the piña colada bunch and hard-lemonade posse). Bitters are among the easiest and most customizable of infused boozes. Originally used as medicine (they’re packed with herbs), on their own they’re usually consumed as a digestif. This is due to gentian, an herb which gives most bitters their eponymous flavor, and which also helps with gastrointestinal distress from heartburn to hiccups. The best use of bitters is in cocktails, however, where they’re essential for throwbacks like the Sazerac or Manhattan. Bitters help balance out drinks that would otherwise be too sweet. The steps required to make your own are exceedingly simple. I’ve listed the seven most important points and some recipes after the jump.

1. Find the highest proof alcohol you can (Astor Wines here in New York sells Devil’s Springs 160 proof vodka for $18.99). The higher the proof, the better your mixture will infuse with the flavor of your ingredients. 2. Add the bitter element. The easiest thing would be to stop by your local health food store and pick up some gentian extract, but you can also go to herb shops around town and ask for edible bitter plants, barks, etc. I went to Curry Hill, to Kalustyan’s, for the more exotic ingredients. (Unfortunately, not whole gentian root -- that’s too pricey.) 3. Add additional flavorings. This is where you really have a chance to personalize your bitters. Traditional recipes use citrus peels and spices like clove, but the gastronomic sky is really the limit. Bitters have been made out of everything from rhubarb to xocolatl mole. 4. Try to use flavor components that complement each other and the alcohol you’re using. Sweet corn, lime, and mezcal anyone? 5. Use airtight glass containers such as mason jars. Plastic containers will leach because of the high proof of the alcohol. 6. Shake your containers once a day to fully integrate the ingredients. 7. Make sure the ingredients you’re using are edible. This seems like a no-brainer, but I almost used cherry pits -- which it turns out contain cyanide -- before I did some research. Thankfully none of my guests will be reminiscing about The Great Bitters Poisoning of Ought-Nine.

The rest of the recipe involves tweaking the measurements. Wanting to get the most out of my available liquor, I chose 750ml mason jars and used 375ml (or 1.58 cups) of alcohol for each iteration. The gentian extract was halved from 40 drops to 20. I went with three different variations; two using vodka and one with bourbon. In each case I used gentian extract as the bitter element, but switched up the herbal components to keep things interesting.

Jar #1: Cherry and Birch Sunset-gold rainier cherries with herbaceous birch bark. My initial thought was, “Boylan sodas!” but we’ll see if it turns out so harmonious. ● 375ml of Devil’s Springs 160 proof vodka ● 1 1/4 cup rainier cherries, pitted and halved ● 1 oz birch bark ● 20 drops gentian extract

Jar #2: Citrus, Clove, and Pink Peppercorns The goal for this mixture is to have the spice (and spicy) notes and the tart sweetness from the citrus mingle to create a bitters that’s almost floral. The alcohol is again Devil’s Springs 160 proof vodka. ● 375ml of Devil’s Springs 160 proof vodka ● 1 tsp whole cloves ● 2 tbl pink peppercorns ● Orange and lemon peels, about 1/2 cup ● 20 drops gentian extract

Jar #3: Smoked Vanilla and Sarsaparilla This is the most intense I’m going to get with this experiment. For one thing, bourbon is the base. For another, we’re gonna get all molecular gastronomic up in this bitch, as I recently purchased a Polyscience Smoking Gun, made famous by Richard Blais during season four of Top Chef. After a week of infusing, I’m going to pop the cap off this sucker and pipe in a few hits of applewood smoke which should hopefully serve as a complement. Bourbon and smoke just seem like natural pals. ● 375ml bourbon (at least 120 proof) ● 1 oz Sarsaparilla ● 1 tsp Madagascar bourbon vanilla extract (real vanilla bean is preferred) ● 20 drops gentian extract

For any bitters recipe, it’s best to tinker to achieve the most balanced compound. Some ingredients take longer to infuse than others. If one element starts to overpower, you can counteract by pulling it, or adding more of the other flavors. But for now, we wait.