3 ingredients that elevate cocktails

"Often in the world of cocktails, people will get caught up in the main ingredient and then skimp on the accoutrements. By now we know that the perfect garnish might be the difference between a great Gibson and a mediocre martini. And we should also know that since a margarita and many other drinks is two-thirds lime-sugar-agave mix to alcohol, it might make more sense to spend some more time making sure that mixer is great instead of the other way around."

"But outside of those things, we also shouldn't forget the other co-stars in every cocktail. And those co-stars often come in the form of cocktail bitters the salt and pepper of the cocktail world aromatized wines, like Cocchi Americano, Dubonnet, any vermouth or Lillet, and rimming salts and sugars, all of which are designed to add that je ne sais quoi to your cocktails that little something extra that makes good great and great exceptional."

"Abbott's Bitters was a brand of aromatic medicinal bitters that was popular during the early 20th century; it was produced up until the 1950s. John Troia and Peter Schaf of Tempus Fugit Spirits, which is primarily an importer based in Novato and Europe, in cooperation with King Floyd's Bitters in Novato, have resurrected the brand with a retro reproduction of the original label and a re-creation of the bitters itself."

Bitters, aromatized wines, rimming salts, and sugars act as co-stars in cocktails, adding subtle complexity that elevates drinks from good to exceptional. Many cocktails, including margaritas, rely on mixers such as lime-sugar-agave in proportions that often outweigh the alcohol, which makes mixer quality crucial. Perfect garnishes can transform a Gibson or martini. Abbott's Aromatic Bitters, a medicinal aromatic bitters brand produced until the 1950s, has been resurrected in a retro reproduction by Tempus Fugit Spirits in cooperation with King Floyd's Bitters. Abbott's faced an early 20th-century legal dispute over the use of the word angostura on its label.

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