*This post sponsored by Everclear. Must be 21+. Please drink responsibly.

I was so excited to finally get to try my hand at mad-scientisting some bitters and tinctures using Everclear. This is one area of do-it-yoself cocktailing that I haven’t really gotten to dabble in, because honestly, I’ve always been a little daunted at the idea of making bitters. And while they are a little more on the complicated side (but well worth the extra effort!), tinctures are comparatively so darned easy. And furthermore, Everclear shares some very simple instructions and recipes for a variety of bitters and tinctures (and spirits, liqueurs, and cocktails) over on their site.

So what’s so tricky about making bitters? Well, IMO, it comes down to the fact that they take awhile to brew (anywhere from 48 hours to up to a month, depending on your personal preference for taste), and the fact that they rely on using bittering agents (such as gentian root, horehound, walnut bark, etc) that are not usually readily available to buy at say, the supermarket (I sourced mine fairly easily online). I went ahead and created a batch of persimmon bitters (WHAT?!)(look for that in a future recipe), as well as making the super simple Four Spice Pumpkin Tincture that I used in this cocktail.

FOUR SPICE PUMPKIN TINCTURE

Makes approximately 1.5 cups

1.5 cups Everclear (190 proof if it’s available to buy where you live, if not 150 proof works great, too)
1 mounded cup chopped, de-seeded sugar pumpkin
4 all spice seeds
6 cloves
1 whole nutmeg seed
4 cardamom pods
Combine all ingredients in an airtight container, seal, and store in a cool dry place for approximately two weeks, shaking it every so often. Once infused, strain ingredients into an airtight container.
It’s important to make note that tinctures are a high-potency ingredient that can either be used like a bitter to augment flavor in a cocktail with just a few drops, or can be used in restricted quantities as the base spirit of a cocktail (for instance, if you would normally use 2 oz of a typical 40 proof spirit as your base, you would want to use .5 oz or less of this tincture: CUZ IT’S STRONG.

FOUR SPICE PUMPKIN FIZZ

Makes 1 cocktail

1.5 oz. Honeyed Pumpkin Simple Syrup (see instructions below)
- 3/4 cup organic honey
- 3/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup canned pumpkin
- 1/2 vanilla bean (split open)
.5 oz. Four Spice Pumpkin Tincture
.5 oz. fresh lemon juice
.5 oz. fresh lime juice
.5 oz. heavy cream
1 egg white
5 drops orange blossom water
dry sparkling wine to top (approx. 2 oz.)
grated fresh nutmeg
To make the Honey Pumpkin Simple Syrup:
Combine honey, water, pumpkin puree, and vanilla bean in a small saucepan over medium high heat. Just slightly bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer for five minutes. Remove from heat and let cool thoroughly. Strain into an airtight container and store in fridge. Yields about 1.5 cups.
To make the cocktail:
In a shaker over ice, combine tincture, simple syrup, lemon, lime, and orange blossom water. Shake until chilled, strain ice from mixture, add egg white to it, and shake vigorously for about 20 seconds. Pour mixture into collins glass and then top with sparkling wine and a dusting of fresh nutmeg.