Updated on April 9th, 2023
Bitters are an essential component of any bartender’s arsenal in today’s cocktail culture. These botanical-infused elixirs deliver a punch with only a dash or two, adding an added layer of depth to any drink. Bitters have been used to treat a variety of maladies for ages. Still, they’ve also been a popular tool for masking disagreeable flavours in drinks and, later, a vital ingredient in cocktails. “A stimulating liquid comprised of any kind of sugar, water, and bitters,” according to one of the oldest recorded documented definitions of “cocktail,” published in the 1806 New York journal The Balance and Columbian Repository.
Here are a few excellent alternatives to peychaud’s bitters. Angostura, Moxie, and Woodford Reserve all work nicely as a replacement. Continue reading to learn about the advantages and disadvantages of each of these bitters. Angostura bitters are a wonderful alternative if you want bitters without astringency. Another wonderful alternative is balsam. To achieve the same effect, use a 1:2 substitution ratio.
Some of the Substitutions For Peychaud’s Bitters
1. Moxie
Peychaud’s bitters are a famous cocktail ingredient. These bitters originated in Haiti and were invented in New Orleans by Antione Peychaud, a pharmacy proprietor. Peychaud was compelled to emigrate to the United States during the Haitian Revolution, and he had brought his own recipe. It’s noted for its fruity undertones and bitter properties. Peychaud’s bitters are designed for traditional cocktails such as the Manhattan, Old Fashioned, and Whiskey Sour. Only a few people can make the bitters because the recipe is kept secret.
A soft drink from Maine, Moxie is an excellent alternative for peychaud’s bitters. It’s a nonalcoholic variant of Peychaud, yet it still has the same bitterness and herbal qualities. It has a citric acid concentration comparable to Peychaud’s and can be used in a 1:1 ratio in cocktails. Balsam and Angostura are bitterer and should be mixed with neutral alcohol.
2. Hummingbird Bitters
Peychaud’s bitters can be substituted with Old Fashioned Bitters. Old Forester Hummingbird Bitters can be used in an Old Fashioned drink. This gentian-based bitters blend includes Rose, cardamom, clementine zest, and orange peel. It’s a fantastic choice for blending with cocktails because of its mild flavour and neutral base.
3. Angostura Bitters
Don’t worry if you don’t like Peychaud’s bitters. Angostura Bitters can be used instead of regular bitters. They’re both bitter and have a similar flavour. They also have a gentian root in them. But which is the superior option? If you’re attempting to figure out which cocktail to make, keep reading to learn more.
Peychaud’s bitters are similar to Angostura and can be used in various beverages. The bitters’ flowery, somewhat sweet flavour can be used in practically any dish. Bittered Sling, a Canadian bitter, is also available, and it’s also available on Amazon and Walmart. Peychaud’s bitters can be found almost anywhere, regardless of your location.
Campari is another popular substitute. It is slightly sweeter than Angostura Bitters and has the same components. Cherry and orange peel are common flavours in Angostura Bitters. Peychaud’s bitters can also be substituted with spices like cinnamon and cardamom. If Peychaud’s bitters are unavailable, substitute other bitters such as Campari or Absinthe.
4. Woodford Reserve
Woodford Reserve is a full-flavored, all-natural whiskey paired with traditional cocktail recipes. However, it does not have the same pungent flavour as Peychaud’s. It enhances a wide range of drinks, including martinis and Manhattans, as an all-purpose, budget-friendly substitute to Peychaud’s.
Two types of bitters are used to achieve the unique flavour of a Peychaud’s drink. The original mix of Woodford Reserve is matured in bourbon barrels. Cherry Bitters from Fee Brothers are sweeter and less strong, but they have a lingering cinnamon flavour. If you’re seeking an alternative to peychaud’s, consider the following suggestions.
Try Scrappy Bitters, an all-natural alternative if you don’t want to use Peychaud’s. These bitters are naturally gluten-free and closely resemble Peychaud’s aromatic qualities. Scrappy’s Chocolate Bitters will enhance the sweet undertones in whiskey-based cocktails when used in a 1:1 ratio.
5. Suze Bitters
Suze Bitters is a near equivalent to Peychaud’s because it contains gentian flower extract as a key ingredient. Because of their persistent aftertaste, some think Suze Bitters are even stronger than Peychaud’s. Suze Bitters are a potent accent to any drink because of their intense bitter flavor and undertones of cinnamon and cardamom.
Suze can be mixed 1:1 with Peychaud’s, although the flavour will be overwhelming. Use half as much Suze as Peychaud’s if you want a more subtle flavor. Add Suze to half Dry gin and half sweet vermouth for a lively take on an ancient classic.
6. Boker’s Bitters
Because just three ingredients are used, this alternative is simple to check for allergies. Boker’s creates a cocktail ingredient with chocolate, coffee, and dark spice overtones by combining cassia, cardamom, and bitter.
This alternative is spicy rather than bitter. Cocktails can be made with a 1:1 ratio of Peychaud’s because it’s not overpowering. Drinks with Boker’s Bitters include soda cocktails, whiskey cocktails, gin cocktails, and even Absinthe cocktails. While this alternative is difficult to find in stores, it is widely available online.
Are Peychaud and Angostura Bitters the Same?
Peychaud’s and Angostura, two of the most well-known bitters brands today, are classics in both classic and modern cocktails. According to Drinks International, Angostura is the best-selling and top-trending bitters brand, with “95 percent of bars attesting to carrying Angostura as one of their three most utilized cocktail bitters, and 83 percent stating it was their top choice.” Peychaud’s is ranked second among best sellers and third among trending.
With flavours of candied cherry, clove, orange, and a definite bitter finish, Peychaud’s is the lighter and sweeter of the two. Angostura is richer and tastier. According to Shane O’Neill, Peychaud’s has a pronounced anise flavour, the lead bartender at Quality Eats in New York, whereas Angostura “has much more of a spiced flavour, like cloves and cinnamon.”
Angostura is the stronger, with an 89.4 proof, but because a dash only includes a trace of alcohol, the business presents it as non-alcoholic. Peychaud’s is slightly less potent, at 70 proof.
What is the Flavor of Peychaud’s Bitters?
Peychaud’s bitters are cocktail bitters most known for their use in the Sazerac cocktail, New Orleans’ official beverage. Antoine Peychaud, an apothecary in New Orleans, invented Peychaud’s bitters in the 1830s. The Sazerac Company presently distributes the brand. The flavour is sweeter than Angostura bitters with undertones of anise and mint.
Bitters are miniature bottles of liquor flavoured with botanicals (herbs and spices). They’re crucial in modern mixology since they can make beverages taste complex in just a few shakes. Angostura bitters, promoted as a medicinal tonic in the mid-1800s, were the first bitters to be mass-produced. However, today’s most prevalent application is in cocktails.
Bitters are distilled spirits that have been infused with herbs, spices, fruits, roots, tree bark, and other botanicals. Orange peel, gentian root, cassia bark, cascarilla, and cinchona bark are common bitters constituents.
Does Peychaud’s have Cinnamon?
Peychauds Bitters combine the other components, adding various layers and depths of flavour, and possibly aiding digestion. Anise, cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg give a mildly sweet scent. Appearance: Cherry cough syrup in a bottle, brilliant red in a drink (real bright red).
It has a sweeter flavour than Angostura bitters, with cherry, nutmeg, and clove hints. For a Sazerac, it is an absolute must. It can also be used in cocktails if anise-flavored absinthe is desired. Clear glass bottle with purple/red printing on a white label and old-style lettering – looks nice and antique. Screwcap fastening on a black neck wrap with a huge “P” in ancient gold writing.
It’s a must-have item for a bar, whether for a Sazerac or other drinks that call for Peychauds or as a customer-specified bitter—otherwise, people may wonder what happened to their drink because this bitter has such a unique flavour. It pairs particularly well with cognac or rye-based beverages.
Is There Alcohol in Peychaud’s Bitters?
Kentucky’s award-winning Buffalo Trace Distillery produces Peychaud’s Bitters, a complex 35 percent abv spirit. Antoine Amédée Peychaud, a Creole apothecary from the French colony of Saint-Domingue, now Haiti, who relocated to New Orleans, invented the recipe in 1830.
For 172 years, Peychaud’s was the only bitters on the market, but this year, The Bitter Truth’s Creole Bitters joined the market, aiming to be comparable to Peychaud’s but less fruity and more herbal. One could theoretically use Angostura bitters or other aromatic bitters, but we’d high advise against this practice if you don’t want to create a cheap knockoff drink. If you don’t live in New Orleans, you’ll probably have to buy Peychaud’s bitters online.
What are Some Recipes in Which Peychaud’s Bitters are Used?
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Pie
When I went to Four and Twenty Blackbirds in Brooklyn, I first heard about incorporating bitters in the pie. They make a Salted Apple Caramel Pie with a dash of bitters added to the filling for added flavour. While the pie does not taste very herbal or “bitter,” it does have a very well-rounded flavour, and I suspect the bitters assist in balancing out the possibly excessively sweet caramel.
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Stews and soups
Soups and stews are ideal vehicles for experimenting with a few dashes of herbal flavour. I’ve used bitters in a lentil soup previously and enjoyed the results; the wonderful thing is that you can start slowly and cautiously and simply experiment before going all-in.
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Sauces
Like soups and stews, Sauces are designed to be concentrated flavour enhancers, so why not go all out with a sprinkle of bitters? Bitters can typically smooth off heavier citrus notes or give creamy sauces a mild boost of flavour, depending on the sauce and what it’s served with.
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Dressings for Salads
I’ve started using bitters as an acid in salad dressings – a couple shakes into a vinaigrette with olive oil, mustard, and salt and we’re good to go. However, many chefs and cooks before me have come up with even more inventive methods to include bitters in salad dressings for both vegetable and fruit salads.
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Ice Cream
Ice cream has great flavour retention due to the milk fat. You know what I’m talking about if you’ve ever soaked herbs or aromatics in milk before churning it. Bitters is no exception; it adds a wonderful flavour to ice cream.
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Cocktails
First Rodeo- Peychaud’s Bitters, Gin, Bianco Vermouth Orange peel, grapefruit juice, soda water, simple syrup, lemon juice
Laetare Fizz- Heavy cream, Egg white, Lemon juice, Amaro Montenegro, Gin, Aromatized wine, Cassis, Peychaud’s Bitters, Blood Orange Juice, Passion Fruit Puree
PHI-FLIP- Peychaud’s Bitters, Genever, White Port Sugar, egg yolk, and yoghurt liqueur
Mayan French Piccadilly- Bitters, Peychaud’s Bitters, Orange Bitters, Gin, Aromatized wine, Xtabentun
Melody- Pussanga, sweet vermouth, amaro, Jägermeister, Peychaud’s Bitters
Sioux City Slugger- Demerara syrup, whiskey, Peychaud’s Bitters
Haumea- Cava, Demerara Rum, Herbal Liqueur, Peychaud’s Bitters, Grapefruit, Lime, Cinnamon Syrup, and Orange Peel
Conclusion
The best substitution depends mainly on the drink you’re making. Balsam and Angostura are bitterer replacements that work best with neutral spirits. Other sweet substitutes, like as Boker’s and Scrappy, should be used with spiced cocktails. While the majority of options are gluten-free, double-check the brand before buying. You can rely on Angostura, Scrappy Bitters, Boker’s, and Woodford Reserve when in doubt.
By now, you’re probably ready to bring out your inner mixologist. We’ve learned that while Peychaud’s is known for its bitter qualities, its fruity undertones are just as integral for flavor. While nothing can replicate Peychaud’s Bitters to a tee, these substitutions yield comparable flavor to your favorite cocktails.