What to use instead of aromatic bitters
It depends entirely on what it's doing in the dish. Here's the job, what else does it, and what to skip.
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The bitter seasoning that makes a sweet drink taste finished
A couple of dashes of concentrated botanicals do for a drink what salt does for food, pushing back against the sugar and giving the aroma a spine.
Orange bittersRan out
2 dashes per 2 dashes aromatic
Brighter and more citric with far less clove and cinnamon, so an old fashioned lands lighter and less wintry.
Peychaud's bittersRan out
3 dashes per 2 dashes aromatic
Anise-forward and sweeter, and it tints the drink pink. Milder per dash, which is why it takes an extra one.
Alcohol-free bittersNo alcohol
4 dashes per 2 dashes aromatic
Glycerin-based rather than spirit-based, so it disperses more slowly and needs a proper stir. Weaker per dash and softer at the finish.
Double-strength black teaNo alcohol
1/2 tsp of tea brewed at twice the usual leaf, per 2 dashes
Tannin and astringency without any of the spice, so the drink gains a dry middle and tastes faintly of tea. It also dilutes slightly.
Cold brew coffee concentrateNo alcohol
1/4 tsp per 2 dashes
Roasty bitterness that darkens the drink visibly. It suits anything with sugar and citrus peel and swamps a delicate mixer.
What doesn't work: Campari, amaro or any bitter liqueur measured in dashes. They are diluted twenty to forty times compared with bitters, so two dashes changes nothing, and the ounce it would actually take drags in a load of sugar and alcohol.
Structure in a zero-proof drink with no spirit behind it
Alcohol normally supplies heat, weight and a dry finish, so without it the bitterness and tannin have to hold the whole drink up on their own.
Alcohol-free bittersNo alcohol
5 dashes per 2 dashes of the aromatic kind
Needs roughly double the dose to register in a drink with no spirit carrying it. The finish stays softer however much goes in.
Strong-brewed black or oolong teaNo alcohol
1/2 oz brewed at double strength and cooled, per drink
Adds real astringency and body, which is what most virgin cocktails are missing. It shows up as a distinct tea note, so lean into it.
Chicory or coffee concentrateNo alcohol
1/4 tsp per drink
Roasted bitterness with a dark colour, and it works best in anything cola-adjacent or built on citrus peel.
Grapefruit peel expressed, plus a pinch of saltNo alcohol
1 wide strip + 2 grains of salt per drink
Bitter oils on the surface and salt that suppresses the sugar, so the drink reads drier without anything being added to the liquid.
What doesn't work: Reaching for more citrus juice to fix a flat virgin cocktail. Acid is a different sensation from bitterness, so the drink gets sharper at the front and still finishes sweet and short with nothing holding the middle.
Two dashes of Angostura contribute roughly a twentieth of a standard drink's worth of alcohol, so anyone avoiding it outright should reach for the glycerin-based bitters.