4 nonalcoholic bitters for even better zero

In the dark times before nonalcoholic spirits were "a thing," sober folks like myself had a few staple options to choose from whenever we’d go out with our imbibing friends.

There's the ever popular club soda and lime combo, which can easily pass for a gin and tonic, thus heading off the dreaded "why aren't you drinking?" question. (The answer: "None of your business.") If the establishment was considerate to teetotalers and designated drivers, we might be lucky enough to score a dusty bottle of cheap nonalcoholic beer that had spent years aging in the boiler room, like a bottle of Thunderbird in a wine cellar. And if that wasn't an option, but you were still craving the bubbly dryness of beer, there was the original "near beer" — a tall glass of soda water with a few generous splashes of bitters.

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Bitters have always seemed like a safe nonalcoholic option behind the bar; they’re found on supermarket shelves next to bottles of Day-Glo margarita mix and jars of pearl onions. But it turns out that bitters not only contain alcohol, but do so in concentrations of up to 45 percent.

Bitters are normally used in such low quantities, however, that the amount of alcohol that ends up in a beverage is negligible, and while it's possible to get a buzz by downing a whole bottle, concentrated bitters are so unpalatable that few will succeed. Still, it's alcohol, and for people with restrictions, reservations or religious reasons, that makes it a big no-no.

Alcohol is an outstanding solvent, with a molecular structure that coaxes flavor compounds out of herbs, botanicals and spices with ease and efficiency, so it's the go-to base for most bitters formulations. But as the zero-proof movement has continued to pick up steam, a new crop of small-batch bitters makers has turned to an alternative ingredient as a base: glycerin.

"Glycerin does a great job of extracting flavor from botanicals, and it's easier to appreciate the flavor because your taste buds aren't dealing with the impact of 45 percent alcohol, allowing those botanicals to really shine through," says Ian Blessing, co-founder and owner of All the Bitter.

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When tasting glycerin-based bitters, it's easy to identify the flavors listed on the label. Rather than a potent cacophony of indeterminate extractions that build a solid wall of bitter, nonalcoholic bitters are mellow, with more discernible notes. Lavender bitters taste like an open field. Cherry bitters taste like pits and deeply ripened fruit. Aromatic and New Orleans-style bitters taste like something you want to build an entire cocktail around instead of relegating them to the supporting cast.

Zero-proof bitters can stand in for their high-proof counterparts but need to be used with a heavier hand — a gentler extraction process results in a gentler product, so expect to add dropperfuls rather than dashes. That doesn't mean, however, that they are inferior substitutes for the real thing. Instead, explore them as something shiny, new and brimming with possibility.

"Bitters made with glycerin are typically more viscous than traditional alcoholic bitters, which can be surprising at first, but once they’re mixed into a few ounces of liquid, that texture is irrelevant," Blessing says. "They also tend to be a bit heavier and can sink to the bottom of the glass, so you might need to stir your drink to make sure they’re fully incorporated."

Here are four extraordinary nonalcoholic bitters companies that are worth seeking out, with approximate costs:

Created by two former French Laundry sommeliers, this small-batch company produces bitters with highly discernible flavors that make them easy to experiment with, and tasty enough that you’ll want to use them generously. The orange bitters are particularly extraordinary; mixed with zero-proof gin, a smidgen of orange marmalade and a squeeze of fresh lime juice, it makes for a terrific spirit-free stand-in for a Pegu Club. $26.50 for 4 ounces.

These alcohol-free bitters are as aggressively potent as their alcohol-steeped counterparts, making them ideal to use in classic cocktail recipes where they can more than hold their own against myriad flavors. Try the cherry bitters with some nonalcoholic whiskey if you’re missing Manhattans. $11.50 for 1 ounce.

Made with locally sourced herbs and aromatics in a small Colorado mountain town, Dram's bitters are something that deserve to be used with intention and thoughtfully enjoyed. One of my favorites, the Lavender Lemon Balm, mixes extraordinarily well with fresh lemon juice and tonic for a refreshing zero-proof summer beverage. $19 for 4 ounces.

This woman-owned outlet from New Orleans also produces a bevy of outstanding cocktail mixes and flavored syrups, so it's not surprising that all of its 12 handmade varieties of bitters deserve to be far more than background players. While they work wonderfully in cocktails, it almost seems a shame to obscure their delicately calibrated, multilayered flavors with anything else. A simple bitters and soda has never been better. $19.99 for 4 ounces.