Our Recipes

When the Italian fishermen of San Francisco threw together their combined catches, their respective gardens, and whatever wine they figured they could spare, they didn’t so much as create a masterpiece as procreate one. The heady addition of anise and fennel bitters marries the dish with the vibrancy of New Orleans: nothing short of physical passion in stew form.  Serves 6 Ingredients: 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 3 celery stalks, thinly sliced 2 medium yellow onions, chopped 4 garlic cloves, minced ¾ to 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes 1½ cups white wine 2 teaspoons sea salt ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, with juices 1 quart fish broth 2 teaspoons anchovy paste or finely chopped anchovy fillets 1 pound clams, scrubbed 1 pound mussels, scrubbed 1 pound large shrimp, shelled and deveined 1 pound salmon fillets, cut into chunks ¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley 2 tablespoons fennel bitters (Bar Keep) 1 tablespoon aromatic bitters Crusty bread, for serving Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a Dutch oven or heavy soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the celery and onion and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Try not to brown. Put in the garlic and pepper flakes and stir until aromatic, about 30 seconds. Add the wine, salt, and black pepper; boil for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, broth, and anchovy paste. Simmer for 5 minutes, or until the celery is cooked through.At this point, you can store the broth for up to 2 days in the refrigerator. Bring back to a simmer before proceeding. Add the clams and mussels to the broth, cover, and cook until the shellfish are open, about 8 minutes. Add the shrimp and salmon, cover, and return to a simmer. Remove from the heat. Stir in the parsley and bitters. Cover and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Discard any clams and mussels that don’t open. Serve, drizzled with the remaining olive oil, in big soup bowls with lots of crusty bread. Recipe from Mark Bitterman's Field Guide to Bitters and Amari - Photo by Clare Barboza Recipe adapted from Mark Bitterman's new book, Bitterman's Field Guide to Bitters and Amari. 

The presence of mulling spices in a drink is no big thing, except when the spices are actually mulling in the drink. Adding cloves and lemon peel to hot alcohol results in lightning-fast extraction of flavors that at first sip are delicious but can quickly become overwhelming. By the time you’re done, you feel like you need to dip yourself in alcohol to extract all the clove and limonene from you. Let bitters do the heavy aromatic lifting, and enjoy the stability of balanced bitter sweetness as it supports the boozy, spicy warmth at the heart of the drink. Serves 1 (you) Ingredients: 1 cup boiling water 1 tablespoon Demerara sugar 1½ ounces whiskey, bourbon, rye, Irish whiskey, or Scotch 5 dashes citrus bitters 2 dashes aromatic bitters Pour the boiling water into a heated mug. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Sit, back, relax and enjoy! Variations: Bitter Boozy Coffee (aka Irish Coffee): Follow the recipe for the above, using freshly brewed hot coffee for the boiling water, Irish whiskey, and chocolate or cinnamon bitters for the citrus bitters. Top with a spoonful of softly whipped cream and drizzle the aromatic bitters on top. Hot Buttered Rum: Follow the recipe for the recipe above, using dark rum instead of whiskey and cinnamon or other spiced bitters for the citrus bitters. Top with a thin pad of unsalted butter and drizzle the aromatic bitters on top.  Recipe from Bitterman's Field Guide to Bitters and Amari written by Mark Bitterman.         Recipe taken from Mark Bitterman's new book, Bitterman's Field Guide to Bitters and Amari.