Cocktail Tools The Bitter Truth Creole

The Bitter Truth Creole

The liquid itself is a fairly vivid cherry red colour, and has a light anise aroma. In the mouth, a strong earthy anise flavour dominates, with just a hint of sweetness which quickly dissipates to reveal spices like cardamom and a subtle floral note. These linger as a medium bitterness develops on the finish, along with some alcoholic heat.

The obvious bitters to compare these to is, of course, Peychaud’s, but while superficially they are similar – the bright red colour and anise flavours – the overall taste profile is quite different. Peychaud’s is more dominantly anise, and sweeter (though by no means over-sweet!) with a lighter, more floral flavour. TBT Creole bitters, on the other hand, have a more complex combination of flavours with much more spice and bitterness, and a deeper, longer finish.

The Creole bitters bottle recommends the Improved Brandy Cocktail, which is more commonly referred to as a brandy Sazerac. The bitters work well here, adding extra nuance to the Cognac and resulting in a well-rounded and complex cocktail. The bitters work similarly well in the traditional Sazerac, where they add a little less anise flavour than Peychaud’s but give the drink a slightly more aromatic edge. I found I needed just a touch more sugar syrup to counteract the heavier bitterness of the Creole bitters, but the overall result was great.

Sitting between traditional aromatic bitters and Peychaud’s, The Bitter Truth Creole bitters offer a wonderful depth that really adds to cocktails. While I can see them working as a replacement for Peychaud’s I think the most interesting results will be found in their use as an alternative to traditional aromatic bitters in drinks like the Manhattan, where they work very well. I also eagerly await the new cocktails that will undoubtably be inspired by Creole bitters.

Overall, a great new bitter and a must for the shelves of anyone with more than a passing interest in cocktails.