Fee Bros Gin Barrel Aged Orange Bitters..

[McCleanman]

I just bought a bottle of the new Gin Barrel Aged Orange Bitters but really haven't had time to play around with it. I was just wondering if anyone has come up with some of their own cocktail recipes for this where the bitters really shine through.

[JMF]

Joe Fee gave me a bottle a few weeks ago. I have tried it in many variations of classic cocktails and some new ones. It's more bitter than most other orange bitters, I think it has a high gentian extract level, and that has to be taken into account. But it isn't as complex as I would have thought after aging in used Ransom Old Tom Gin barrels. It does have some woody tannins on the finish. It works well with gin cocktails, and ok with bourbon and rye cocktails. Not so much with aged rums, so far I feel it doesn't click with scotch based cocktails. I still haven't played with it enough to get a real feel for it.

The Fee Black Walnut bitters are really interesting. Toasted nut and woody notes, maybe a bit too sweet. I am going to have to try creating some cocktails using the aged orange and black walnut together for more complexity.