Bitters Bottle

A Dash Is a Measurement

A dash is roughly 0.6 to 0.9ml, a little under a fifth of a teaspoon, and the dasher top is what makes it repeatable. The insert lets out a few drops per flick and no more.

Bitters are seasoning, so small errors show. The three dashes in a Bamboo come to about 2.5% of the drink: small enough to vanish in a careless pour, and strong enough to show when doubled.

The Maker's Bottle Pours Unevenly

Shop bottles of bitters have restrictor tops of their own, and how much leaves them depends on the angle and how hard you shake. Decanting into dasher bottles gives you one action for every bitters on the rail.

It also lets you label clearly. Aromatic and orange bitters look alike through brown glass, and a wrong pick is easy in a hurry.

One Sharp Flick Per Dash

Turn the bottle fully upside down over the glass and flick it down once, stopping hard. The stop does the work; a slow tilt dribbles.

Fill to the shoulder only. With the neck full, the insert floods and the first dash comes out as a stream.

Count aloud while you learn. Two dashes into a mixing glass looks like nothing, and the urge to add more is how a drink ends up over-bittered.

Tinted Glass and a Tight Insert

Light fades bitters, so amber or cobalt glass is the safer choice on an open shelf; clear glass is fine in a cupboard. A tight insert matters more than the shape of the bottle.

In our experience bitters at full strength keep for years. The aroma goes first, so a bottle that smells faint has faded rather than spoiled.

Common Questions