As someone who has needed to navigate the world of challenging and limited diets, I often depend on bitters to encourage the healthy digestion my body so regularly denies me. When I "oops" on something that doesn’t settle well with my tummy, I reach for one of my favorite bitters. If there isn’t a bottle of Urban Moonshine’s Original formula around, I make my own!
When making a bitter, I think of it in three parts; bitter, aromatic, and citrus. While generally all of the ingredients will have a bitter quality to them, this model helps me craft an enjoyable bitter sans extra sweeteners.
Organic bitter herbs:
Artichoke leaf, Oregon grape root, blue vervain, gentian root, dandelion leaf, yellow dock root, motherwort, etc.
Organic aromatic herbs:
Cardamom pods, star anise pods, cinnamon sticks, clove, cedar leaf, ginger root, hops flowers, lavender flowers, lemongrass, pink peppercorns, fennel seeds, etc.
Organic citrus:
Orange peel, lemon peel, lime peel, grapefruit peel, etc.
I always start with one choice from each category. Once you have a nice bitter foundation you can easily determine what might complement the flavors. Complicated bitters don’t always mean a more effective recipe. Simple is my go-to.
Ingredients
Directions
You may also be interested in:
Topics: Herbalism
Alieta, blog contributor, is an Oregon native with a two-year certificate from the Columbines School of Botanical Studies. Her other professional accreditations include: a degree in Computer Science at Oregon State University, a degree in Philosophy, Spanish, and Graphic Design from Portland State University, a scuba diving certification, and non-violent communication training. She enjoys spending her free time hiking in the woods with her Labradoodle, Pepperoni, or enjoying the view from her garden with her cat and a bubbly beverage. And winning the local Eugene hackathon!
As someone who has needed to navigate the world of challenging and limited diets, I often depend on bitters to encourage the healthy digestion my body so regularly denies me. When I "oops" on something that doesn’t settle well with my tummy, I reach for one of my favorite bitters. If there isn’t a bottle of Urban Moonshine’s Original formula around, I make my own!
When making a bitter, I think of it in three parts; bitter, aromatic, and citrus. While generally all of the ingredients will have a bitter quality to them, this model helps me craft an enjoyable bitter sans extra sweeteners.
Organic bitter herbs:
Artichoke leaf, Oregon grape root, blue vervain, gentian root, dandelion leaf, yellow dock root, motherwort, etc.
Organic aromatic herbs:
Cardamom pods, star anise pods, cinnamon sticks, clove, cedar leaf, ginger root, hops flowers, lavender flowers, lemongrass, pink peppercorns, fennel seeds, etc.
Organic citrus:
Orange peel, lemon peel, lime peel, grapefruit peel, etc.
I always start with one choice from each category. Once you have a nice bitter foundation you can easily determine what might complement the flavors. Complicated bitters don’t always mean a more effective recipe. Simple is my go-to.
Ingredients
Directions
You may also be interested in:
Topics: Herbalism
Alieta, blog contributor, is an Oregon native with a two-year certificate from the Columbines School of Botanical Studies. Her other professional accreditations include: a degree in Computer Science at Oregon State University, a degree in Philosophy, Spanish, and Graphic Design from Portland State University, a scuba diving certification, and non-violent communication training. She enjoys spending her free time hiking in the woods with her Labradoodle, Pepperoni, or enjoying the view from her garden with her cat and a bubbly beverage. And winning the local Eugene hackathon!
