Miracle Mile Bitters Co.

When Louis Anderman first stopped into the store with a little brown vial, I knew it was the start of something special.  Louis is one of the most committed cocktail amateurs in the country.  When I say amateur, I mean like an Olympian.  He is a wealth of knowledge regarding classic cocktails, mixology, and gastronomy in general.  After a long and exciting developmental stage he’s stepped into the professional arena.  His products have been passed around the LA Bar scene for what feels like years (although it's only been a few months now) and he’s got a strong following with several of the city’s top bartenders.  They’ve already become ubiquitos across the finest establishments and this is without any marketing whatsoever.  By no marketing,  I don’t just mean he wasn’t advertising it or selling it under the table, he literally gave it away to friends and somehow it popped up in bars across the city.  It’s been featured on countless blogs and was featured in multiple cocktails at this year’s Tales of The Cocktail.  I’ve seen this product develop from a simple hobby into one of the finest bar phenomenon in years.  Exciting, authentic, and exceptionally high quality, the Miracle Mile Bitters Co. is producing world class products that will be standards for master mixers worldwide very soon.  We’re lucky enough to be the first major retail store to offer these bitters.  Supply is very limited so please don’t wait. 

Castillian Bitters 100ml - $15.99

This Iberian style bitter is hard to pinpoint.  There’s a definite orange peel element, but the subtlety of the other flavors is delightful.  Some coriander, cardamom, bitter roots maybe gentian, angelica give the nose an earthiness.  The nose is not powerful or overwhelming and is contrasted by the strong herbal notes on first entry.  On the palate a clear anise/wormwood character comes through with a warming herbal quality.  The garrigue elements are familiar and very appealing. 

Suggested application:

The Oaxacan Angel

2 oz Del Maguey Mezcal Vida
1 barspoon Ojio Agave Nectar
2 dashes Miracle Mile Castilian Bitters
Stir with ice and strain into a chilled Old Fashioned glass with fresh ice. Garnish with a grapefruit twist.
Created by David Kupchinsky, Eveleigh.

Yuzu Bitters 100ml - $15.99

This exotic citrus bitter is one of my favorites.  Exceptionally easy to use and eminently appealing, the Yuzu bitter is unlike any other on the market.  Yuzu originated in Eastern Asian and looks something like a miniature grapefruit.  The flavors are complex and fall somewhere between Lemon/grapefruit and tangerine.   While the yellow citrus rind and grapefruit aromas dominate on the nose, the palate brings a depth of spice that belies the olfactory expectations. 

Suggested application:

This or That

2 oz Death’s Door Gin or White Whiskey
3/4 oz Lime Juice
3/4 oz Small Hands Orgeat
1/4 oz St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram
3 dashes Yuzu Bitters
Shake with ice and strain into a chilled Old Fashioned glass with fresh ice.
Created by Matt Wallace, Harvard & Stone

Sour Cherry 100ml -$15.99

The Sour Cherry bitter is probably the easiest to consumer on its own.  The nose is all freshly crushed cherry skins, fragrant red berries, but without any medicinal/cough syrupiness.  The palate feels like cherry juice squeezed right out of the hand, but develops into a strong bitter cherry pit finish.  You’re left with a bit of green cherry flavors, like chewing on the cherry stem.  Should be very interesting addition to many cocktails, particularly stuff that calls for maraschino or one of the Cherry liqueurs - Roi Rene, Heering, or Maurin. 

Suggested application:

(Variation on) Variations on a Theme

2 oz Hayman's Old Tom Gin
1/2 oz Cherry Heering
1/4 oz Campari
1 barspoon Luxardo Maraschino
3 dashes Miracle Mile Sour Cherry Bitters
Stir with ice, and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
Adapted from a recipe by Beta Cocktails.

Chocolate-Chili Bitters 100ml - $15.99

MMBC’s most popular flavor is a reinvention of the ever popular Chocolate Mole bitters.  Bittermens has an exceptional Xocolatl bitter, but it doesn’t capture the interplay between the heat of the chili and the depth of the cocoa bean that we get with Miracle Mile.   There’s strong clove and cinnamon on the nose with the chocolate taking a bit of a back seat.  On the palate, the heat of the chilies is stupendous and framed perfectly by intense baking spice.  The black as night bitter chocolate shines through on the mid-palate and builds to a crescendo around the spice and heat of the chili.  The finish almost feels like a bit of sweetness is poking through by it quickly disappears behind the lingering capsaicin.

Suggested application:

Clockwork Orange

1 1/2 oz No. 3 London Dry Gin
1 oz Redbreast 12 Year Irish Whiskey
1 oz Orange Juice
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Stirrings Simple Syrup
2-3 dashes Mirachle Mile Chocolate-Chili Bitters
Shake with ice, and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with freshly grated nutmeg.
Created by Brady Weise, 1886.

-David Girard

David Othenin-Girard