Angostura Bitters and Soda

Before you start

Bitters and soda is a bartender's staple: a tall glass of ice and soda water with several dashes of aromatic bitters and a squeeze of lime. It looks like a cocktail, tastes spiced and dry, and is often ordered by people skipping a round. It is not alcohol-free, though. Aromatic bitters are a concentrated spirit-based extract; Angostura is bottled at about 44.7% ABV. The dose is tiny, but it is not zero.

To put a number on it: a dash varies by bottle and pour, but five dashes is roughly 4 ml. At 44.7% ABV that is about 1.8 ml of alcohol, or around 1.4 g, roughly a tenth of a U.S. standard drink. Spread across about 300 ml once ice melts, the finished drink is around 0.6% ABV, similar to or slightly above non-alcoholic beer. That is useful information for anyone deciding whether it fits their reasons for not drinking.

Ingredients

• 5 dashes (about 4 ml) Angostura aromatic bitters
• 15 ml (½ oz) fresh lime juice — about half a lime
• 10 ml (2 tsp) simple syrup (1:1) — optional
• 240 ml (8 oz) soda water — very cold
• 1½ cups (about 220 g) ice cubes
• 1 lime wedge — for garnish

Method

1. Fill the highball glass to the top with ice. A full glass keeps the soda colder and fizzier than a half-filled one.
2. Add the lime juice and the simple syrup, if you like a softer drink.
3. Pour in the soda water slowly, leaving about 1 cm at the top.
4. Shake the bitters over the surface in five firm dashes. They will sink in pink-brown ribbons; lift the spoon once through the glass to mix, or leave it layered for looks.
5. Squeeze the lime wedge over the top, drop it in and serve.

Tips for success

• Dash size depends on how full the bottle is and how hard you shake it. If you are counting alcohol closely, measure with a 1 ml dropper instead.
• Many bars build this with no sweetener at all. Try it dry first; the bitters already carry some sugar.
• Ask for it by name at a bar if you want something to hold that is not a cola, but know that it contains a trace of alcohol.

Substitutions

Angostura bitters

Orange bitters make a lighter, citrus-led drink, and Peychaud's gives a brighter red color with anise notes. Both are also spirit-based, so the alcohol math is similar.

Soda water

Tonic water turns it into a bitter, quinine-dry drink and adds sugar; skip the syrup. Ginger ale makes it sweet and spicy.

Lime juice

Lemon works equally well. A grapefruit wedge gives a more bitter, aromatic finish.

Variations

Pink float

Build lime and soda first, then dash the bitters gently on top without stirring for a layered look.

Bitters and ginger

Use ginger beer in place of soda water and skip the syrup.

Troubleshooting

It tastes medicinal

Too many dashes for the volume of soda. Cut to 3 or 4 dashes or add more soda and ice.

It is flat

Warm soda or too little ice. Chill the soda bottle and fill the glass completely with ice before pouring.

It tastes thin and watery

Add the simple syrup and a few more drops of lime. A small amount of sweetness gives the bitters body.

Storage

Make each drink to order. An open bottle of bitters keeps at room temperature for years with the cap tight. Store soda water cold and recap it firmly to save the fizz.

Safety notes

Not alcohol-free. Five dashes of 44.7% ABV bitters contain about 1.4 g of alcohol, roughly a tenth of a U.S. standard drink (14 g). It is not a good choice for children, during pregnancy, or for anyone avoiding alcohol entirely.