The category bitter liqueur is a broad one, and sometimes misunderstood. There are cocktail bitters, which are used in amounts such as a dash to complement a cocktail; there are digestivo bitters - often called amaro - and then there are aperitivo bitters, which is the variety that we see most often in our Negronis, Boulevardiers and Garibaldis. The latter is the one Ergin has reinterpreted for us with the Bitter Allko and we think he has done an excellent job. 

As with the other Gotha products, the bitter includes purified seawater from the Adriatic which enhances our taste perception of the other botanicals. Each selection is driven by his personal vision, and the combination yields a complex and unique result. The ingredient list includes: timut pepper, bitter orange and grapefruit peel, wormwood, china, gentian, black pepper and cherry pepper (pimento)—all of which are dried. Those not grown in Italy are sourced from high quality importers in China. Ergin prepares each infusion separately. The timut pepper is macerated in 120 proof neutral spirit for 24 hours and the rest of the botanicals are infused for 10 days in 100 proof neutral spirit. 

The Bitter Allko is inspired by 20th century nihilism and the immediate hit of bitterness on the palate is convincing, however it is one balanced by citrus and bracing notes of both black and timut pepper, a purposeful differentiating factor by Ergin. By his own suggestion: try it in a Negroni with other Gotha products, paired up with grapefruit, in a spritz, or any other classic cocktail or modern creations calling for a bitter liqueur.