Also, while I was at the store picking up the curaçao, I asked them about special ordering orange bitters. The manager seemed interested and we got to discussing how it’s a staple in several classic cocktails. He asked about places to get them and I gave him Fee’s contact info. Crossing my fingers…

-Robert

You can find a good recipe for “Orange Bitters” in “The Joy of Mixology” by Gary Regan. A book I highly recommend.

For purchasing Orange Bitters I recommend either “Fee Brothers” (www.FeeBrothers.com), or “Regan’s Orange Bitters No. 6″ (which you can purchase online from www.BuffaloTrace.com). And there is a brand I’ve heard of being made in Japan that is suppose to be very good, but I haven’t located a source for it yet.

These are two rather different variations on a theme. Fee’s is realatively simple in flavor, with a distinctive orange and sweet note to it. You could almost drink them “as is”. The ROB#6 on the other hand is a more astringent and sharp flavor that comes closer to what I feel orange bitters should be.

If you can’t find OB locally, then you can either call Fees and order from them, or get ROB#6 via the BuffaloTrace website (go to the giftshop). The “single bottle” price with shipping is a tad steep, so I personally recommend ordering a case (since the shipping is the same either way) and this gives you some extra bottles to give out to some of the bars you frequent so that they can make some of the drinks I’ll be listing here as well. This won’t be the last time you see OB cocktails here!

Here in Seattle I can get Fee’s Orange Bitters at DeLaurenti’s in the Pike Place Market, at many (if not all?) “Central Market” stores, and I’ve seen it at a few other locations as well.

There is also a new “bitters” on the market being sold by “Stirrings” (www.Stirrings.com) called “Blood Orange Bitters”. It is a rather simple in flavor brand, similar to Fee’s, but it is also non-alcoholic, and has a rather distinctive “fruitiness”. It’s worth picking up if you see it and experimenting with.

-Robert

There are several different variations on “orange flavored liqueur”. Curaçao, Triple Sec, Cointreau, Grand Marnier, plus various brands of “substitutes”.

To a certain extent, each of these can substitute one for the other, with reasonable, but not always great, success.

or to perhaps put it into better context:

Butter, Olive Oil, Safflower Oil, and Lard… To a certain extent, each of these can substitute one for the other, with reasonable, but not always great, success.

:->

Historically, Orange curaçao was first, then the Cointreau folks decided to do them one better by coming out with their “more refined” (triple distilled) version that they called “Triple Sec”. Then immitators started hitting the scene, also using the term “Triple Sec” to refer to theirs. Cointreau didn’t want to be lumped in with them, so removed Triple Sec from their label, retaining only the brand name “Cointreau” which could not legally be used by other brands. I feel that curaçao has a slightly more “rustic” flavor that I prefer in some drinks, such as the Pegu, while Cointreau has a more refined flavor that I prefer in drinks such as a Sidecar.

If your goal is to build out your liquor cabinet on the cheap, then I’d recommend focusing on finding a brand of Triple sec that you really like. It can easily substitute for either curaçao or Cointreau. Both curaçao and Triple Sec can be found pretty cheaply, around $10 a bottle for a pretty good brand, while Cointreau is in th $30+ range.

But I’d still recommend having curaçao, triple sec, and Cointreau (and perhaps Grand Marnier) in your cabinet just for the sake of experimentation and research.

-Robert

For orange bitters, I found some cheapo orange bitters made by Collins at the local liquor store. Only a couple of bucks. I’m sure it’s nowhere near the quality of Fee Bros since the #1 ingredient is Propylene Glycol, but it’ll probably get the job done.