The Cheap 200-Year-Old Ingredient I’ll Never Stop Adding to Coffee (I Do It Every Morning!)
I’m an unapologetic coffee drinker. I typically drink two mugs back-to-back every morning (that’s just what it takes to keep this train running). I try to draw the line at afternoon coffee, though. It seems like a bridge too far. Three cups of coffee in a single day? Get a hold of yourself. That said, I’m not a robot, and sometimes I need a treat.
Afternoon coffee for me is a “sometimes” affair, reserved for when I’m having a particularly stressful day or I’m going to some kind of evening event that is going to keep me up past 10 p.m. When I do indulge, I want that cup of coffee to be more special than my bare-bones morning cup. I’m not a big fan of the usual sugary sweet coffee shop fare. I like my coffee like I like my cocktails: strong and balanced. I welcome a complement to the flavor, but I still want to taste the coffee itself.
The answer to my prayers came from a trip to a local coffee shop that had on its menu a coffee drink made with a wildly unexpected ingredient that I would never have thought to pair with coffee: bitters.
Why Bitters Is the Perfect Addition to Coffee
It sounds redundant — coffee is already bitter — but the flavor of the bitters really complements the coffee without taking over, making it more complex. On top of that, it’s inherently adaptable. Bitters come in many different flavors, so you can opt for classic angostura or switch it up with orange bitters, walnut bitters, or even spicy bitters. Honestly, it works so well I struggle not to add it to every single cup I drink.
Tips for Adding Bitters to Coffee
Pair it with a little sweetness. While I’m not a fan of supersweet coffee, a little bit of sweetness helps bring the whole cup into balance (not unlike a well-mixed cocktail). My local coffee shop has created drinks for their menu that include bitters and a touch of flavored syrups (like orange blossom and ginger), but I typically go a bit simpler and just add a bit of sugar or a lightly sweetened coffee creamer.
Start small. You can always add, but you can never take away. Start with just a dash or two of bitters, then taste and adjust as necessary.
This post originally appeared on The Kitchn. See it there: The Cheap 200-Year-Old Ingredient I’ll Never Stop Adding to Coffee (I Do It Every Morning!)
Further Reading
We Tested (and Rated!) All the Sofas at Pottery Barn — Here Are the Best for Every Type of Need
We Asked 8 Pro Travelers What They Never Pack in Their Carry-On, and Here’s What They Said
