Bitters.....in a White Russian.....

northGAcock

Last August I took my wife to Nashville celebrating one of our many aniversarys. We visited one of the local watering holes for drinks and dinner. Party ordered a White Russian and they added a bitters to the drink. Not at all knowledgeable about mixology (only mastered the Bloody to date).....anyone with knowledge of the bar have any ideas what that might have been? Somehow I never thought of bitters in this drink....but it could really be of benifit if I was to figure it out. 

bgebrent

To get Party in bed?  Makes no sense to me. The bitters that is.  You are being very thoughtful.

northGAcock

bgebrent said:

To get Party in bed?  Makes no sense to me. The bitters that is.  You are being very thoughtful.

We arn’t talking grapes here Brent. 

Jeremiah

No help here, as I don’t have clue what bitters are...but I can now say I’m never going back camping without bloodies. #thispastweekendsucked 

theyolksonyou

As you know, I’m an expert in bitters.  That is all I have. 

JohnInCarolina

Not a standard part of the WR by any stretch, but there do appear to be some recipes out there for them that incorporate bitters:

https://www.mensjournal.com/food-drink/the-white-russian-grows-up-20140131/

Google is your friend with stuff like this, Robin.  Brent... Brent is not.  

Wolfpack

Bitters and club soda- your best friend for stomach aches 

danv23

This is a very complicated case, Maude. You know, a lotta ins, lotta outs, lotta what-have-you's. And, uh, lotta strands to keep in my head, man. Lotta strands in old Duder's head. Luckily I'm adhering to a pretty strict, uh, drug regimen to keep my mind, you know, limber.

ColtsFan

I thought it was bitters and bourbon? 

The_Stache

Bitters are the HOPS for distilled beverages!!

bgebrent

theyolksonyou said:

As you know, I’m an expert in bitters.  That is all I have. 

Qouthe the expert.  Problem solved.

YukonRon

First, happy anniversary to you and Party. 
Second hope the trip to Nashville was fun and you got to hit a few of the juke joints there.
Not a bitters person, but hey, I will try anything once.

northGAcock

YukonRon said:

First, happy anniversary to you and Party. 
Second hope the trip to Nashville was fun and you got to hit a few of the juke joints there.
Not a bitters person, but hey, I will try anything once.

Ron....this was last August, we drove over to Nashville from Louisville. You may recall the numerous bottles of wine we had before heading over? 

YukonRon

northGAcock said:

YukonRon said:

First, happy anniversary to you and Party. 
Second hope the trip to Nashville was fun and you got to hit a few of the juke joints there.
Not a bitters person, but hey, I will try anything once.

Ron....this was last August, we drove over to Nashville from Louisville. You may recall the numerous bottles of wine we had before heading over? 

Probably the same amount we had here,tonight, for the neighborhood social.

HendersonTRKing

Bitters in a Dark and Stormy. And a Sazarac. White Russian???  Hmmmm. 

Theophan

I like making cocktails, and I have a few bitters (they are two and some three deep in this photo):



and I don't think I'd put ANY kind of bitters in a White Russian, but I could picture maybe Mole bitters going OK in one, given that chocolate is a big focus in Mole bitters.  Lots of others might be interesting as well, but bitters can REALLY change a drink, and I'm not sure I'd want to call it a White Russian anymore if if had bitters in it.  I have no problem with someone creating a great riff on a drink by doing something cool with it, but if it really isn't the same drink, anymore, why not just give it a different name.  (Don't get me started on chocolate "martinis...")

I'd go back to the same bar and just ask them!  They'd probably tell you.

DoubleEgger

dmourati

I like when Lebowski calls it a Caucasian. 

Focker

I've done some time behind the bar.
Bitters doesn't belong in a WR.
Adding a spash of Coke is a nice change up, Colorado Bulldog.

JRWhitee

Have not heard that before, must be a Nashville thing.

JohnEggGio

The “Whitey” is my wife’s family’s drink - they prefer blended.  I can’t imagine bitters in a whitey - starkly contrasting flavor.

pgprescott

I’d contact the place. I bet they’d be happy to share with you. It’s a pretty friendly city. 

northGAcock

pgprescott said:

I’d contact the place. I bet they’d be happy to share with you. It’s a pretty friendly city. 

I actually did....and they wrote me back telling me if i sent them my address, they would send me the secrete ingredient. I followed through.....they did not.

pgprescott

northGAcock said:

pgprescott said:

I’d contact the place. I bet they’d be happy to share with you. It’s a pretty friendly city. 

I actually did....and they wrote me back telling me if i sent them my address, they would send me the secrete ingredient. I followed through.....they did not.

Well that sucks!

JohnInCarolina

northGAcock said:

pgprescott said:

I’d contact the place. I bet they’d be happy to share with you. It’s a pretty friendly city. 

I actually did....and they wrote me back telling me if i sent them my address, they would send me the secrete ingredient. I followed through.....they did not.

I'd give them another call, and ask them what bitter substance the bartender is secreting into the White Russians.  You might get an answer that way.  

SmokeyPitt

Maybe chocolate bitters? 

SSQUAL612

Theophan said:

I like making cocktails, and I have a few bitters (they are two and some three deep in this photo):



and I don't think I'd put ANY kind of bitters in a White Russian, but I could picture maybe Mole bitters going OK in one, given that chocolate is a big focus in Mole bitters.  Lots of others might be interesting as well, but bitters can REALLY change a drink, and I'm not sure I'd want to call it a White Russian anymore if if had bitters in it.  I have no problem with someone creating a great riff on a drink by doing something cool with it, but if it really isn't the same drink, anymore, why not just give it a different name.  (Don't get me started on chocolate "martinis...")

I'd go back to the same bar and just ask them!  They'd probably tell you.

Impressive collection...I’ve spent some time behind the bar as a mixologist & agree with Focker that a splash of coke adds another layer but then it’s no longer a White Russian.   I use bitters in some of my cocktails & add to stews & peas sometimes for an herbal essence.  There are so many choices now and looks like you are one to try different types.   

Theophan

SSQUAL612 said:

Impressive collection... There are so many choices now and looks like you are one to try different types.   

It's overwhelming.  I have a bunch of bitters, but it's a very small fraction of what's available out there.  What made it worse is that, while it's fun to sample different flavors, have a change of pace, once in a while, most of them honestly I haven't really been that crazy about.  There's a reason that good old Angostura survived when so many other bitters went out of business.  It really is my favorite by far (for a regular type of bitters, that is).  I don't try new ones very often, anymore.

nolaegghead

Bitters is not a flavor.  Unless you know what flavor bitters they added, how can you say it's no longer a white Russian? 

Theophan

nolaegghead said:

Bitters is not a flavor.  Unless you know what flavor bitters they added, how can you say it's no longer a white Russian? 

Different people have different opinions about this sort of thing, of course.  I think the general issue is how far you can change something and still consider it the same thing.  The people running that bar apparently feel fine calling it a White Russian even though they modified it by changing its flavor.  Maybe you'd agree with them -- no problem!

For an extreme version of the opposite point of view, though, consider the Gibson.  Classically, a Gibson was just a Martini with pickled cocktail onions as a garnish instead of the typical green olive or lemon twist.  Just changing the garnish was enough of a change in the character of a Martini that they gave it a different name!

I tried a Daiquiri, once, that had a tiny bit of Angostura bitters in it, and it completely changed the character of the drink.  It was delicious, but it just didn't taste like a Daiquiri to me, and I would have given it a different name.

There's no one right answer.  For myself, adding ANY kind of bitters to a White Russian is likely to change its flavor so much that I'd say it really doesn't taste like a White Russian anymore.  But maybe you and many others would agree with the bar that did it that of course it's still a White Russian.  There is no Cocktail Name Police, so far as I know...  

SSQUAL612

Theophan said:

nolaegghead said:

Bitters is not a flavor.  Unless you know what flavor bitters they added, how can you say it's no longer a white Russian? 

Different people have different opinions about this sort of thing, of course.  I think the general issue is how far you can change something and still consider it the same thing.  The people running that bar apparently feel fine calling it a White Russian even though they modified it by changing its flavor.  Maybe you'd agree with them -- no problem!

For an extreme version of the opposite point of view, though, consider the Gibson.  Classically, a Gibson was just a Martini with pickled cocktail onions as a garnish instead of the typical green olive or lemon twist.  Just changing the garnish was enough of a change in the character of a Martini that they gave it a different name!

I tried a Daiquiri, once, that had a tiny bit of Angostura bitters in it, and it completely changed the character of the drink.  It was delicious, but it just didn't taste like a Daiquiri to me, and I would have given it a different name.

There's no one right answer.  For myself, adding ANY kind of bitters to a White Russian is likely to change its flavor so much that I'd say it really doesn't taste like a White Russian anymore.  But maybe you and many others would agree with the bar that did it that of course it's still a White Russian.  There is no Cocktail Name Police, so far as I know...  

Now now...no need to be bitter