bitters

[bit-erz]

noun

(used with a plural verb)

1. a liquid, often an alcoholic liquor, in which bitter herbs or roots have steeped, used as a flavoring, especially in mixed drinks, or as a tonic.

2. Pharmacology.

   1. a liquid, usually alcoholic, impregnated with a bitter medicine, as gentian or quassia, used to increase the appetite or as a tonic.

   2. bitter medicinal substances in general, as quinine.

bitters

/ ˈbɪtəz /

plural noun

1. bitter-tasting spirits of varying alcoholic content flavoured with plant extracts

2. a similar liquid containing a bitter-tasting substance, used as a tonic to stimulate the appetite or improve digestion

Word History and Origins

Origin of bitters¹

First recorded in 1705–15; bitter + -s ³

Example Sentences

But as Helen would probably attest, sometimes a muddle mixed with spirits, bitters and twists makes a smashing cocktail.

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Back in December, alcohol importer Raza Zaidi in San Francisco placed an order for a pallet of gins, liqueurs and bitters from a Mexican spirits producer.

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“These are different sweetnesses, different bitters,” Matheson explains in a Munchies video from VICE.

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I’d order gin with ginger beer, a splash of bitters and a twist of lemon or orange.

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Other ways in which we “close the loop” are through syrups, infusions, shrubs, tinctures and bitters.

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