Coinciding with the kickoff of the first Hawaii Cocktail Week was the debut of the much-anticipated Hawaii Bitters.
Shortly after the first Cocktail Week party at CoXist Studio, I was able to get my hands on the first three flavors produced by Hawaii Bitters – Kona coffee & mac nut, lilikoi and Manoa chocolate & ginger.
The nature of bitters makes is a little difficult to review, given that it’s not a primary component of a cocktail, but rather a flavoring ingredient. But, thanks to Hawaii Cocktail Week, there are a plethora of mixologists available to lend their expertise.
As a constant in my little experiment, I brought a flask of whiskey with me. This way, the type or quality of the liquor was consistent for all the mixologists when they tasted the bitters. Here’s what they thought.
Hawaii Bitters tasting (2 of 7)
When Gottesman tried the bitters with whiskey, he remarked on how just two drops of the Kona coffee & mac nut "dried it out to the nth degree." By subduing the sweetness of the whiskey, the other characteristics came through.
Gottesman did note that the bitters need to be concentrated. All of the flavors have a great aroma, but he needed to use several more drops to flavor a cocktail as opposed to just one or two of another brand.Photo by Ed Morita
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