Category:
Beverages

Seasons:
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December

Courtesy of Lara Nixon

Photography by Dustin Meyer

Suggested use: Classic Manhattan

Easy

1 cups Rittenhouse bonded* rye whiskey
1 cups Laird’s apple brandy 100 proof (not applejack)
3 3-in. cinnamon sticks
15 cloves
20 cracked allspice berries
1 1/2 tablespoons coriander seeds
1 cracked nutmeg
5 cardamom pods
1 teaspoons gentian root
Zest from ½ a medium orange
2 ounces grade B maple syrup

DIY Mulled Winter Bitters Directions

In a wide-mouth mason jar, combine the rye and apple brandy. In a heavy skillet, toast all of the dry spices, except the gentian, until fragrant. Add the toasted dry spices, gentian and orange peel to the liquor jar and screw on the cap. Let the mixture macerate for 9 to 10 days at room temperature, shaking once each day.

Afterward, strain all of the solids out of the mixture through a fine mesh sieve or cheesecloth and discard the solids. Add the maple syrup to the strained bitters and shake. Allow to sit 1 more day before using.