DIY Celery Bitters Recipe

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Updated Aug. 09, 2018

Celery bitters are a long-forgotten cocktail ingredient that add a nice savory boost to martinis, gin and tonics, Bloody Marys, and other cocktails. The fun of homemade celery bitters is coming up with a list of demands for what you want your bitters to be like and then making it so: feel free to play around with adding lemon or orange zest, or herbs like rosemary.

Recipe Facts

Active: 20 mins
Total: 0 mins
Serves: 450 servings
Makes: 1 3/4 cups

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Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup lemongrass, pale green parts only, roughly chopped (about 2 stalks)

  • 1 teaspoon coriander seeds

  • 10 mint leaves

  • 1 allspice berry

  • 1/2 teaspoon gentian root (cut, not powdered)

  • 1/4 cup celery seeds

  • 1 cup celery, chopped

  • 2 cups 100-proof vodka

  • 1/2 cup water

Directions

  1. Put the lemongrass, coriander, mint, allspice, and gentian root in a sealable glass jar. Muddle briefly to bruise and break the ingredients. Add the celery seed, celery, and vodka, then seal and shake. Let this mixture steep for 12 days, shaking daily.

  2. Strain out solids using a fine-mesh strainer, reserving the liquid in the original jar. Place the solids in a sauce pan along with the water and cook on medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes. It will come to a gentle boil and the liquid will reduce slightly. Let this cool, then return all the pan's contents to the original jar. Let steep for two more days.

  3. Strain out the solids, then filter the liquid through a coffee filter or cheese cloth. If using cheese cloth, you may have to do this two or three times until the liquid is free from debris. Store at room temperature for up to a year.

Special equipment

Fine-mesh strainer, saucepan, cheesecloth or coffee filter

This Recipe Appears In

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
3 Calories
0g Fat
0g Carbs
0g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 450
Amount per serving
Calories 3
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g 0%
Saturated Fat 0g 0%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 0mg 0%
Total Carbohydrate 0g 0%
Dietary Fiber 0g 0%
Total Sugars 0g
Protein 0g
Vitamin C 0mg 0%
Calcium 0mg 0%
Iron 0mg 0%
Potassium 0mg 0%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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