I’d like to thank McMann & Tate Cocktail Co. for providing this review sample with no strings attached.
A few weeks ago, a very nice person wrote to me offering a sample of their company’s cocktail bitters. As I am always in the mood to add to my bitters collection (seriously, I think I need to pare it down—three shelves full is a bit overkill), I happily accepted, as I’d never heard of the brand.
When the bitters arrived, well, let’s just say that I was smitten. I love, love, love the late 1950s-1960s “space age” style design language. Give me a kidney-shaped design element, and I’m going to perk right up. It’s the same design language that inspired my “retro” styled bourbon t-shirt and die-cut sticker (for sale now at BourbonGuyGifts.com). Though honestly, I didn’t lean into it as much as the designers of the McMann & Tate Cocktail Company brand did. So, without even tasting the bitters, I was on board with this. I just hoped that they tasted as good as they looked.
But before we get into that, who is McMann & Tate? And no, I don’t mean the fictional ad agency that employed the husband in the old Bewitched TV show (though the company might want to work on the ol’ SEO since the fictional agency was what filled the first page of Google). They are a cocktail ingredient company out of New Jersey. They sell nine types of bitters, four types of freeze-dried citrus wheel garnishes, and three types of flavored rim salts. And yes, they all look amazing.
I received three bottles from them: the Wildly Aromatic, the Moroccan Orange, and the Bing Cherry. These are the exact three flavors that we use most often in our house, having developed our own recipes for them over the years. I was most excited to try the aromatic. In my experience, one aromatic bitters can differ from another much more than one orange bitters from another orange bitters. Same with cherry.
When I test bitters, I tend to do it in the most reproducible way possible. Namely, I make my favorite non-alcoholic, non-mind-altering drink (bitters and soda water) and then an Old Fashioned. Both are very simple drinks, and the differences from drink to drink are solely from the bitters. For the Old Fashioned, I used Maker’s Mark 101 proof as it is a pretty plain palette to paint the bitters across, and it tastes delicious. The impressions below encapsulate both testing methods.
McMann & Tate Cocktail Co. Bitters
Purchase info: These were sent to me at no charge for review purposes. Each bottle is $14.99 for a two-ounce bottle on the brand website.
Details: 40% ABV.
Bing Cherry Bitters
In soda water: Cherry and spice notes finishing with a nice bitterness.
In an Old Fashioned: Pairs well with Maker's 101. Brings out the inherent cherry notes in Maker's with a strong cherry finish.
Wildly Aromatic Bitters
In soda water: Baking spice on the nose. Mouth has a lot of Coca-Cola, vanilla, and backing spice notes.
In an Old Fashioned: Coca-Cola on the nose. Baking spice notes led by clove and anise on the mouth. Finish is Coca-Cola again.
Moroccan Orange Bitters
In soda water: Citrus zest on the nose. Bitter orange notes with very little spice.
In an Old Fashioned: Orange on the nose. Hints of orange on the mouth. This really shines on the finish with a strong orange flavor.
Thoughts:
The Cherry is great on its own. I’m a big fan. It didn’t show much on the nose, but the mouth and finish are very flavorful. For the Orange, I'd probably add a touch of aromatic if I was using it in an Old Fashioned. There isn’t quite the level of spice that I like in my Old Fashioned, but that is something I find in most brands of orange bitters. The Aromatic is delicious on its own. I was always on the Coke side of the Coke and Pepsi Cola Wars, and this reminds me of that tasty beverage. Made a damn fine old-fashioned. What I like about having multiple bitters, though, is using a couple of different ones together. The orange and cherry work nicely together. We’ve already discussed orange and aromatic. And cherry cola is always tasty. I’d recommend giving them a shot. I know I’ll be doing a little shopping after I’m done here.
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