Rhubarb Bitters

No longer relegated to desserts, rhubarb has been enjoying a second act as an ingredient in drinks. Fusing the tart fruit (or veggie depending on your view) with citrus and spice, rhubarb bitters add distinctive depth to cocktails, and crafting your own batch is as easy as you-know-what. This recipe from New York bartender Greg Seider combines a high-proof alcohol with the crimson-colored stalks, fresh citrus and cinnamon. Seider doesn't use a typical bittering ingredient, such as gentian, but the combination of citrus peel, rhubarb and cinnamon bark make for a subtly delicious bitterness. Try the bitters in the Bourbon Street and Chet Helms cocktails.

Ingredients

3/4 lb. fresh rhubarb

1 Vietnamese cinnamon stick, broken into pieces (see tip below)

1 medium-sized navel orange

1/2 a medium-sized ruby grapefruit

12 oz. grain alcohol, like Everclear

6 oz. water

1 oz. agave nectar

Sharp knife

Channel knife or vegetable peeler

Large jar with lid

Fine strainer

Clean glass bottle with lid

Funnel

Step 2

With a channel knife or vegetable peeler, remove the zest from the orange and grapefruit, being careful to not include any white pith.

Step 3

Combine the chopped rhubarb, citrus zest, cinnamon stick and grain alcohol in a large glass jar and cover. Store the jar in a cool, dark place and shake daily for two weeks.

Step 4

Strain the ingredients through a fine strainer and funnel into a clean glass bottle.

Step 5

Funnel the water and agave into the bottle, secure the lid and shake to combine. Store at room temperature for up to two months.