Saffron Bitters
Hair of the Dog, with Bugs & Bitters, Etc.
Bitters are made by infusing bitter botanicals in a high-proof base alcohol.1 Today they are a key flavoring component in cocktails; however, they first came into widespread use as medicinal aids. According to alcohol historian David Wondrich, when hungover Europeans started adding bitters to their wine and brandy as a restorative “hair of the dog” in the 1700s, they planted the seeds for the cocktails we enjoy today.2
True to form, this 1820 bitters recipe packs a medicinal punch. Notably, it features gentian root, an herb used for millennia to treat a variety of ailments that is proven to calm the stomach and help digestion (when consumed in moderation, so drink responsibly!). Gentian remains a key ingredient in Angostura bitters. 3
Saffron—made from the dried stigmas of the saffron crocus flower, a plant with origins in the Middle East—has also long been used to treat a range of ailments. An important source for yellow dye, saffron's major contribution to this Wine Bitters is a pleasing, golden undertone. The dominant vibrant red color comes thanks to cochineal, a red dye formulated by the Aztecs and Maya of Central America from pulverized cochineal insects around 4,000 years ago. Today, cochineal is still widely used as a food and drink colorant, and it remains an important export for Peru; it is not, however, vegetarian.4 In 2006 Campari opted for artificial color in its iconic red bitters.5
For a low alcohol option, add this saffron bitters to tonic water---a quinine-infused refreshment once favored by Brits in colonial India for its antimalarial properties. Until synthetic quinine was developed in 1944, the natural version was derived from Peruvian [cinchona bark](https://www.lib.umn.edu/bell/tradeproducts/cinchonabark); Europeans started importing cinchona bark for antimalarial medicines in the 1630s, after which it quickly took off.[^8] The Wangensteen Historical Library has an early manuscript example of an English recipe that uses cinchona against malaria: in 1659, Chris Dodssonn wrote in his copy of Nicholas Culpepers' translation of the *Pharmacopoeia Londinensis,* "For your ague: Take 2 drams of Quin Quina or Jesuit's Bark, beat it to a powder & infuse it in a draught of Clarit or white wine 2 hours & take it when your fitt begins & cetera."[^9]
Added to the mix is some mint syrup with origins in a Spanish-Morrocan medicinal recipe from the 1200s. Mint has been used for centuries (and still is!) to ease digestion.
WINE BITTERS: Historic Recipe Transcription 6
The rinds of 4 Oranges 1 drachm of Saffron 1 of Cochinell 1 ounce of Gentun root, put into 1 quart of Brandy and digested in the hottest sun 48 hours, then strain it and put half the quantity of Brandy on again and let it stand some time.
**Tattersall's Contemporary Interpretation**
• 1.5 quarts of rum (Tattersall used rum instead of brandy for its punch of sugar)
• 4 orange rinds
• 3.7 grams of cochineal
• 3.7 grams of saffron
• 7 grams of dried gentian
*Add dry ingredients to 1 quart of rum.
Steep in the sun for two days.
Strain out the dry ingredients with a cheesecloth.
Add remaining ½ quart of rum.
If desired, add honey to taste.*
**Tattersall Cocktail Recipe**
• 1 ounce Saffron Infused Bitters
• ½ ounce [mint syrup](/appendix)
• ¼ ounce lime juice
• High-quality tonic water
*Fill an 8 ounce glass with ice cubes.
Add bitters, mint syrup, and lime juice.
Top with tonic water.
Garnish with lime wedge.*
Notes
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Janet Rousa Fuller, “What are Bitters and How Should I Use Them?” Epicurious, July 7, 2016, https://www.epicurious.com/ingredients/what-are-bitters-and-how-to-use-them-cocktails-article. ↩︎
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Brad Thomas Parsons, Bitters: A Spirited History of a Classic Cure-all, with Cocktails, Recipes, and Formulas (Berkeley: Ten Speed Press, 20011), p. 9. ↩︎
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M. Carrie Allen, “One Weird Cocktail has Spread to Menus Worldwide. Because it Works,” The Washington Post, September 27, 2015, https://wapo.st/2qIYTbX. ↩︎
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Helen Soteriou and Will Smale, “Why you may have been eating insects your whole life,” BBC News, April 28, 2018, https://www.bbc.com/news/business-43786055. ↩︎
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Camper English, “Bug-Based Coloring Makes a Comeback in Spirits,” October 5, 2017, https://daily.sevenfifty.com/bug-based-coloring-makes-a-comeback-in-spirits/. ↩︎
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Cookery and Medical Receipts, 1820. Manuscript. Wangensteen Historical Library of Biology and Medicine, University of Minnesota. ↩︎