The bitter and twisted history of one of the cocktail world’s most fascinating ingredients

Cocktail bitters are an essential part of any bartender's tool kit, elevating good drinks into great ones. Discover the fascinating story of how bitters came to be a key ingredient in cocktails and try one of the 50 recipes provided by some of the world's best bartenders.

Bitters, those little bottles you will find in any bar worth its salt, are the unsung heroes of the cocktail world. Where would the Manhattan be without orange bitters? Cocktail historian and founder of his eponymous bitters company, Dr Adam Elmegirab presents the results of almost a decade of research into bitters, guiding you from the early days of snake-oil salesmen through to the birth of the cocktail, Prohibition, and the renaissance of bitters as an essential part of the contemporary bar scene.

Adam outlines each of the key botanicals that go into different bitters and explains the science of flavor, describing how each characteristic can be deployed for maximum impact, and summarizes the key techniques for making great cocktails. Most importantly, Adam provides 50 cocktail recipes created by him and some of the world’s leading bartenders. These exceptional drinks showcase the different characteristic of bitters and how they can refine a cocktail in unique ways.

About the Author

Adam Elmegirab is the founder of Dr Adam Elmegirab’s Bitters—a company that provides bitters to the best cocktail bars on the planet. When not shocking his palate with intensely bitter liquid, Adam travels extensively, writes for a number of drinks media publications, is an academy member for Drink International's World's 50 Best Bars awards, collaborates with a number of world-famous bars and brands, and regularly presents seminars and tastings at international cocktail events. He lives in Aberdeen, Scotland.