lemon bitters | Mass Food & Wine

Michael B. Jordan, who plays Apollo Creed’s son in the latest Rocky reboot Creed, said he shot all of the boxing scenes first. He trained hard and took some tough hits from real-life boxers. The day after he finished shooting, he had a temperature of 103. He told sports reporter Bill Simmons that it was as if his body knew his personal goal, then broke down as soon as it could.

I felt similar about my three and a half hours of eating and drinking at the Kringle Mingle. I had a mission. Even when I felt full, I powered through like a heavyweight, but a different type—like one who will need to switch to elastic waistband pants and flowy tops with no imposing buttons or zippers.

The Kringle Mingle, which was hosted by Niche Hospitality, in their Test Kitchen on Major Taylor Blvd. is a notable addition to the Worcester scene for more reasons than filling up their guests with a bevy of food. People who attended this event and previous ones, as well as individuals who aspire to one day make it to a Test Kitchen event, can vouch that this new haunt is very exciting.

Here’s why in five succinct points.

Eating isn’t the only entertainment. You can watch your food be plated and prepped while you drool over it and drink your cocktail, vino or brew of choice. At my table, our mouths watered while we conferred with the menu to see if we could guess what would be served next. “I think it’s the Lobster Tatter Tots!” Another rebuts, “No it can’t be! It’s the Truffle Custard.”
Boston can’t do it. You could never find this type of event in Boston. In our capital city, they couldn’t charge a mere $85 for 17 sampling items and an open bar with three specialty drinks, two reds, two whites, two bubblies, one stout and one brown ale. They also couldn’t ensure this caliber of friendly foodie. The Kringle Mingle guests loved food and humanity enough to be civilized and remarkably unpretentious while feasting on culinary works of art. Everyone shared their opinions along with smiles and warm banter.
The event blended dining out with the atmosphere of at-home cocktail party hosted by someone who loves to host. Niche owner, Mike Covino, brought back the Polaroid, well sort of. He took instant photos with Fuji’s latest retro tech gadget, Instax Mini. He gave guests the photos as mementos along with a bushel of cookies to take home at the end of the night.

The gesture was notable because the Kringle Mingle managed to incorporate good service with a party-atmosphere comfort. While there were amazing servers available to clear plates and refresh drinks, you also felt special like you had been invited to someone’s home. In this scenario your friend has industrial kitchen equipment and fluorescent down lighting, but really knows how to throw a party. This wasn’t your typical dinner at a restaurant. It wasn’t a staged party trying too hard either. Instead you were provided with an alternative dining experience.

There was something for everyone. As much as two tons of food is a lot for me personally, having a variety of samples worked to satisfy the diverse group of patrons. At my table when we tried the blinis, which was the first round served, we vowed to sample and then reveal our favorites simultaneously so no one would be swayed by another. We all chose different ones. There was a vote for the American Caviar and Crème Fraiche. Another vote came in for the Crispy Pancetta with Maple Syrup. And, I preferred the Eggplant Caviar with Parmesan-hazelnut Crema.
No FOMO. You never felt rushed. Perhaps it’s because the Test Kitchen events are capped at 32 people, but we never felt like they were about to run out of food. When new courses were ready, no one interrupted their conversation to rush the kitchen area, where dishes were prepped and served. You were allowed to take your time without FOMO (fear of missing out). Guests even had the option to resample bites they loved. I didn’t opt for any seconds because I was on a mission to get to the three desserts: a Champagne Float, Profiteroles, and Baked Alaska. I did hear Niche Hospitality’s Executive Chef Steve Champagne joke that we couldn’t leave until all the food had been eaten. Guests shouted back that they wanted to take home the leftovers.

Highlights of the night included the Deviled Eggs with espresso bourbon jam topped with crispy braised pork belly. I don’t even like deviled eggs and these were delicious. Many tables I talked with agreed. Other favorites of the night included the classic Beef Wellington and the specialty cocktail, Saint Nick’s Revenge. Alongside spiked egg nog and a warmed whisky cider, the Test Kitchen served a tart and festive cocktail with vodka, blackberry puree, lemon juice, lemon bitters, sparkling white wine and garnished with fresh strawberries. I may need that recipe.

Niche Hospitality opens the Test Kitchen to the public for cocktail parties, like the Kringle Mingle, as well as plated dinners. And, here at Worcester Scene we can’t wait to see what they plan next.

We’ve all seen that ubiquitous yellow capped bottle behind every bar – usually stashed next to the cash register. You know, the bottle with the oversized white label on it that seems like it’s rarely used; the contents of which are as mysterious as the Yeti or the Loch Ness Monster. In reality, that bottle contains what some might consider to be pure magic – bitters (Angostura Bitters to be exact). When you open that bottle you will find perhaps the most misunderstood and underutilized tool in cocktail history.

Most everyone has heard of bitters yet many might not actually know what they are or how they are used… or even what they are used for. We are here to remove that veil for you and shed some light on this fascinating liquid that has been around longer than we have.

So what are bitters? In the simplest of terms, bitters are water, alcohol, herbs, spices, and sometimes fruit (citrus oils, extracts, etc.). Bitters can (and should) be used as a flavoring agent to add depth to your favorite cocktail or dish. That’s right, bitters are not only used with cocktails, but often also used in the culinary world to add some flavor to sauces, meats, dressings, and even bar nuts. Aside from the culinary uses, bitters were originally developed for medicinal purposes, for whatever ailment you had at the time

Let’s take a step back in time to a hot and steamy New Orleans afternoon in the 1830’s. Just outside the french quarter, a Haitian gentlemen by the name of Antoine Peychaud has called a meeting of the local Free Mason chapter. Peychaud is a chemist and owns an apothecary in town. As the guests arrive, he hands them each a liquid concoction that contains rye whiskey (some have claimed he used cognac), sugar, absinthe, and a couple drops of a mysterious red liquid. This concoction is what many believe to be the precursor to the american cocktail. But what was the mysterious red liquid he added? Today, we know that liquid as Peychaud’s bitters, and back then, he was making them by hand in the back of his apothecary for his friends.

Up until Prohibition, bitters played a prominent role in cocktails and cocktail culture—and for good reason. While bitters were never the star of the show, they do play an outstanding supporting role. Think of bitters as the liquid equivalent of John Turturro or Penelope Cruz. Not a good choice for the lead role, but they can really deliver in that supporting role or ensemble cast. After Prohibition, things changed quite a bit in the cocktail world: Sidecars and Sazerac gave way to Harvey Wallbangers and Cuba Libres (more commonly known as rum and cokes). During the dark days for cocktails, the 70’s, while people were getting wasted at Studio 54 and pulling all nighters with the aid of pharmaceuticals, consumption was focused on ways to mask the flavor of alcohol (hence the rise and popularity of vodka and the cosmopolitan). Thankfully, today, people have come back to their senses (literally) and bitters have come full circle.

With the recent resurgence of classic cocktails such as Manhattans and Old Fashioneds, bitters are making a huge comeback as well. Today, you can find a myriad of flavors out there including lemon, orange, cherry, and even bitters that are aged in used whiskey barrels. In fact, at Still & Stir Cocktail Bar, we made our own house lemon bitters and house orange bitters. While it was a painstaking process, the end result was great, with hints of cinnamon and allspice.

Next time you are at a bar, I encourage you to ask the barkeep to grab that Angostura Bitters bottle and add a few dashes to your favorite beverage – I promise you, you won’t regret it. Cheers!

Sazerac (A New Orleans original)

2 oz rye whiskey
0.5 oz simple syrup (equal parts sugar and water)
Couple dashaes bitters (preferably Peychaud’s bitters)
Absinthe (for anise flavor)

Add ingredients to mixing glass and stir with ice, pour into chilled rocks glass (no ice) and serve with squeezed lemon peel

Vieux Carre (means French Quarter in French)

.75 oz Rye Whiskey
.75 oz Cognac
.75 oz Sweet Vermouth
Spoonful of Benedictine (common liquor)
1 dash Peychaud’s bitters
1 dash Angostura bitters

Combine ingredients and stir with ice and pour into chilled rocks glass (ice optional).

Tag: lemon bitters

The Best from the Test Kitchen’s Kringle Mingle

The Bitter Truth

Sazerac (A New Orleans original)

Vieux Carre (means French Quarter in French)