Doc Elliott’s MixologyTM Bitters

Doc Elliott’s Mixology™ Bitters is the result of my years of creating cocktail flavorings such as syrups, infusions and, yes, bitters.  All are complex and unique.  Each is produced by hand from natural ingredients creating the perfect addition to your craft cocktails.

Coffee Pecan Bitters

Doc Elliott’s Coffee Pecan Bitters are the perfect enhancement to your favorite bourbon, rye, rum, whiskey, tequila, or Irish Whiskey cocktail.  It is particularly good with Old Fashioned and Manhattan style drinks. Continue Reading…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Olive Bitters

Do you love Martinis?  Whether you prefer Gin or Vodka, you’re going to love Doc Elliott’s Olive Bitters. Continue Reading…

 

 

 

 

 

 

Actually Bitter Orange Bitters

Doc Elliott’s Mixology™ Actually Bitter Orange Bitters are the ideal balancing act!  The intense flavors of citrus and orange, and a wonderfully long bitter finish provide the flawless addition to your cocktails.  Just a few drops elevate your most amazing cocktails to consummate symmetry with that superb hint of citrus. Continue Reading…

 

 

 

Ask for Doc Elliott’s Mixology™ Bitters at your favorite Liquor store.  In San Antonio ask at Alamo Liqueurs.  In Dallas head over to Pogo’s Wine and Spirits.  Or Shop now.

Cheers!

 



The Reverse Manhattan

A low alcohol treat….the fruity richness of Carpano with spicy rye and a touch of coffee, pecans & chocolate.  Perfect on a crisp Autumn evening!

  • 2 oz. Italian Vermouth such as Carpano Antica
  • 1 oz. Rye Whiskey
  • 1 Bar spoon Coffee Liqueur
  • 1 Dash Doc Elliott’s Coffee Pecan Bitters
  • Maraschino cherry for garnish
  1. Chill a cocktail glass with ice and water
  2. Combine first 3 ingredients in a mixing glass with ice & stir to chill
  3. Strain into chilled glass
  4. Garnish with the maraschino cherry

Cheers!

 



Doc’s Dirty Martini

Whether you like your Martini with Gin or Vodka, and dirty or down right filthy, Doc Elliott’s Olive Bitters is the secret to making this Dirty Martini deliciously savory.

  • 2 oz. London Dry Gin or Vodka
  • 1/2 oz. Dry Vermouth
  • 1/4 – 1/2 oz. Olive Juice or Brine to taste
  • 1 – 2 Dashes Doc Elliott’s Olive Bitters
  • Garnish with olives
  1. Chill a cocktail glass with ice and water
  2. Combine ingredients, except garnish, in a mixing glass with ice then stir to chill
  3. Strain into chilled cocktail glass
  4. Garnish with olives

Cheers!

 



Coffee Pecan Old Fashioned

This Old Fashioned is best described as a bite of pecan pie, a taste of coffee, a nibble of dark chocolate, and a sip of fine bourbon.  Always a hit at the events and pop-ups we’ve done, it is one of my personal favorites. Simple to make, you can easily adjust the sweet/bitter balance. I prefer a high rye bourbon with this cocktail, but you should use your favorite.

The flavor profile of Doc Elliott’s Mixology™ Coffee Pecan Bitters is bitterness and spiced coffee on the front, soon followed by pecan with notes of dark chocolate as the bitterness rapidly fades.  The finish is coffee, pecan, and chocolate.  For this reason, we use agave, which is fructose, bringing sweet to the beginning then quickly fading, making it the perfect complement to our Coffee Pecan Bitters in our Coffee Pecan Old Fashioned,

Ingredients:
  • 2 oz. Bourbon
  • 5-6 Dashes Doc Elliott’s Coffee Pecan Bitters
  • 1/2 – 1 barspoon Agave Nectar – to Taste
  • Orange peal for garnish
Directions:
  1. Chill a single Old Fashioned glass with ice and water
  2. Combine all of the ingredients, except the garnish, in a mixing glass with ice and stir to chill
  3. Strain into chilled glass with fresh ice
  4. Express the orange peel over the drink and float the peel

Cheers!

 



Dad’s Day Cocktails

Looking for a special cocktail for Dad’s special day?  How about a Mule?  Mules are easy to make and easy to customize.  So, read on for a few ideas.

The Secret to Great Mules

Whether you are making a classic Moscow Mule or some variety, the one thing that will take your cocktail over the top is fresh ginger.  This will mean that you cannot build the Mule in a glass or mug, but the added zing makes the effort worthwhile.  The easiest way to use fresh ginger is to purchase frozen crushed ginger at your supermarket. This generally comes in 1 tsp squares.  I cut the frozen square into 4 pieces and use 1 per cocktail.  Alternatively, slice a coin of fresh ginger from a ginger root and crush it with your muddler in your shaking tin.  You don’t even need to peel it first.

Cucumber Jalapeño Mule – 3 Ways (or maybe 6 ways!)

Mules, those descendants of the Moscow Mule in all their forms, are becoming more and more popular.  Why?  Because they are a) easy to prepare and b) taste great.  What better cocktail to serve your guests than this popular libation?  Now, you Moscow Mule aficionados out there can rightly complain…

Continue reading

Rocky Mule

I have created several cocktails with Dorçol’s Kinsman Rakia Apricot Brandy*.  It makes for an interesting twist on anything made with gin or vodka, (or tequila or bourbon for that mater).  For this Mule, I tried 3 different apricot brandies whose brands will go unmentioned.  They were either too sweet,…

Continue reading

Cheers!

 



Memorial Day…Celebrating the Red, White and Blue

Memorial Day is the perfect time for simple, low ABV, thirst-quenching drinks.  Since beer says summer and barbecues, nothing is better than celebrating the weekend with beer cocktails.  The classic is the Shandy – equal parts lemon soda and beer.  But you can get really creative by just combining your spirit of choice, fruit juice, simple syrup and beer.

One of our favorite beers, Highwheel Betty, is a Kölsch style brew from San Antonio.  Mexican beers are a good alternative and also Dogfish Namaste.  For spirits, we use gin, vodka, tequila, and Kinsman Rakia – an apricot eau de vie.

Here’s a glass lifted to all those service men and women who gave their all!

For recipes, scroll down or clink the links.

Old Glory Kinsman Grog

Old Glory Gin or Vodka Grog

Old Glory Tequila Grog

Gin and Beer Tonic

Kinsman

This cocktail is refreshing and light.  The taste is apricot, lemon and beer.  To create this cocktail, I tried first lemon, then lime then grapefruit juices.  I put a splash of Rakia in a shot glass along with each different juice and simply tasted them. After making the choice of lemon, I added the Rakia and lemon juice to a shaker without ice.  To that I added 1/4 oz simple syrup and tasted the drink.  I felt it needed more simple so I added another 1/4 oz.  This taste was slightly sweet – which means the finished cocktail, after chilling, will be well balanced.  You can use the same methods to create cocktails with the other spirits below.

Ingredients:
  • 1 1/2 oz. Rakia
  • 2 oz. Fresh lemon Juice
  • 1/2 oz. Simple Syrup (1/4 oz – 1 1/2 oz per your taste)
  • 6+ oz. Highwheel Betty or your favorite
  • Lemon wheel for garnish (Optional)
Directions:
  1. Add the Rakia, lemon and simple syrup to a shaker with ice.  Shake to chill.
  2. Strain into beer glass
  3. Top with beer
  4. Garnish with lemon wheel

Gin or Vodka

The flavor of your beer cocktail will be significantly different depending on your choice of Gin or Vodka.  Going deeper, your choice of Gin will also effect the flavor.  The use of a flavored vodka will add even more layers of flavor.  Whichever of these spirits you choose, the ratios of ingredients are fairly constant: 1:1 Spirit to Juice

The beer you use will effect your choice of juice and the quantity of simple syrup.  Which fresh juice is a personal preference but I suggest lemon, lime or grapefruit.

Ingredients:
  • 1 1/2 – 2 oz. Gin or Vodka
  • 1 1/2 – 2 oz Fresh citrus juice
  • 1/4 – 2 oz. Simple syrup
  • 6+ oz beer
  • Garnish to match your choice of juice – optional
Directions:
  1. Add spirit, juice and simple syrup to a shaker with ice.  Shake to chill
  2. Strain into beer glass, with or without fresh ice, and top with beer
  3. Garnish

Tequila

For Tequila beer drinks, we like to use lime, pineapple or grapefruit.  The ratios are similar to our Kinsman cocktail.  The amount of simple syrup will primarily be determined by the tartness of the juice.  Generally more simple with lime and grapefruit and less to none with pineapple.  If your pineapple concoction is too sweet for your taste, try using equal amounts of pineapple and lime juice.

Ingredients:
  • 1 1/2 oz. Plata tequila
  • 1 1/2 – 2 oz. Fresh juice
  • 1/4 – 1 1/2 oz. Simple syrup
  • 6+ oz beer
  • Garnish to match your choice of juice – optional
Directions:
  1. Add Tequila, juice and simple syrup to a shaker with ice.  Shake to chill
  2. Strain into beer glass and top with beer
  3. Garnish

Enjoy!

 



Veridian – an Elegant Gin Martini

 

This beautiful Martini combines the herbal qualities of Gin and Chartreuse.  We used Gin Mare, which has a balanced juniper note and is distilled from olives, among other botanicals, all of which play perfectly with Doc Elliott’s Olive Bitters.

The nose presents juniper with touches of woodiness, herbs and citrus. The taste is soft juniper with citrus, herbs and a hint of anise.  The finish is savory from the Olive Bitters with a bit of spice.

Ingredients:
  • 1 1/2 oz Gin Mare
  • 1/2 oz Quality Dry Vermouth (or 1/4 oz Dry and 1/4 oz Bianco Vermouth)
  • 1 bar spoon Chartreuse
  • 1 Dash Doc Elliott’s Olive Bitters
  • Olives for garnish
Directions:
  1. Chill a cocktail glass with ice and water
  2. Combine all ingredients, except the garnish, in a mixing glass with ice
  3. Stir to combine and chill
  4. Double strain into chilled cocktail glass

 

 



Cinco de Mayo

Cinco de Mayo was originally observed to commemorate the Mexican Army’s victory over the French at Puebla in 1862.  Today, it is usually celebrated in the US by indulging in chips, salsa and margaritas.  While margaritas are really, really good, we would like to offer a few additional tequila cocktails to enjoy.  (And maybe some food as well!)

Grapefruit Tequila SourGrapefruit Tequila Sour

This has just the right balance of sweet, tart and sour.  It will be prettier with white grapefruit juice, but we usually can only get ruby reds.  Just be sure to use fresh juice. Continue reading  →

San Antonio Cloud

SA Cloud 2I found the recipe on a scrap of paper along with a bunch of other little “notes to self” hiding in my desk a few years ago.  There was no reference on it, so I have no idea where it came from.  Anyway, it’s a tequila based cocktail with the tartness and color of pomegranate.  The elderflower foam floating on top makes for a pretty as well as delicious drink.    Continue reading  →

 

 

Tequila Old Fashioned

Tequila Old Fashioned 2This is another bitters forward old fashioned.  The tequila is perfectly complimented by the sweet, smoky agave and the  chocolate and spices of the bitters.  Continue reading  →

 

Yucatan Old Fashioned

Yucatan Old Fashioned 2This is a smoky, spicy version of the Tequila Old Fashioned.  You can use an iSi Whipper for instant gratification, or give yourself a couple of days to let the tequila infuse with the chipotle.  Either way, this is an impressive, complex cocktail.  Continue reading  →

Tequila Manhattan

Tequila Manhattan 1Definitely not a chocolate martini, this is a southwestern makeover of the Manhattan.  Continue reading  →

Rosita Cocktail

Rosita 1I’m fairly certain that this is Robert Hess’s version, but the Rosita Cocktail first appeared in a Mr. Boston recipe book in the 1980’s.  The plata tequila blends nicely with the complex flavors of the sweet and dry vermouths and the herbal/bitterness of the Campari.  Continue reading  →

 Tequila Moonlight

Autumn SpiritThis was our entry into MxMo, “The Unknown.”  The combination of Reposado Tequila, Cocchi Rosa and Kahlua Midnight makes a perfect after dinner drink.

Continue reading →

Now, how about some snacks to go with these drinks!

Smoked Gouda-Chorizo Jalapeno Poppers

Jalapeno Poppers

Jalapeno Poppers

These are easy and quick to make, and the filling can be made ahead of time.  Continue reading  →

Fish Tacos

This is our version of the iconic street food.

Fish TacosThese are great with whatever fish you have on hand.  We usually use tilapia or mahi mahi.  The tacos can be made with flour or corn tortillas or with lettuce wraps.

Continue reading →

Finally, if you really NEED a margarita, here are three of our most requested:

Jalapeño Margarita

This margarita is a new favorite because of its subtle taste of jalapeño with the slightest bit of heat on the finish. Continue reading →

Classic Margarita #1

Margarita 3A simple but classic margarita on the rocks.   Beware: the sweetness hides the alcohol content.  Continue reading  →

Cadillac Margarita

This is our Classic Margarita #2 dressed up with Grand Marnier Foam.  It’s not as tart as #1 – nor as strong! Continue Reading →

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Have fun but stay safe!

Cheers!

 



Rhubarb Blush

Whether fruit or vegetable, rhubarb heralds Spring. The Rhubarb Blush is fresh and light like the new season.

This a simple pomegranate gin sour.  Pomegranate juice is tart and not overly sweet.  It pairs well with rhubarb and ginger, which is why we chose Whitley Neill Gin.  The Whitley Neill Gin is distilled with rhubarb and ginger along with other botanicals, or you can substitute your favorite gin.  The nose is pomegranate, juniper, and herbs.  The taste is gin and pomegranate with subtle rhubarb and a touch of ginger.

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 oz. Whitley Neill Gin
  • 1 3/4 oz. Pomegranate juice
  • 1/4 oz. 2:1 Simple Syrup
  • 1 bar spoon Domaine de Canton Ginger Liqueur
  • Lemon peel

Directions:

  1. Chill a cocktail glass with ice and water
  2. Add all ingredients to a mixing glass with ice and stir to chill
  3. Double strain into chilled cocktail glass
  4. Express the lemon peel over the drink and discard the peel

Cheers!

 



Doc’s Classic Gin Martini

I like my martini’s 2 1/2:1 or 3:1 Gin to Vermouth.  Whatever your favorite ratio, try combining Dry and Bianco 50/50 for the Vermouth.

This is a play on the Perfect Martini.  One that combines both dry and sweet Vermouth.  Rather than sweet Vermouth, I used bianco, combining Carpano Dry and Carpano Bianco. I was hooked.  These two styles of  Vermouth have become my go-to for anything calling for ‘dry.’  At first the Carpano Bianco seems slightly sweeter than the usual premium dry Vermouth.  I attribute this to the rich wine flavor that comes through along with citrus and a little tropical fruit.  The Carpano Dry is a bit surprising. The nose is wine, lemon, candied fruit and spices, but the taste is bone dry.  Alone, or in combination, these fortified wines are amazing.

I have used London Drys, Herbal, and “American Style”.  I like them all!

When it comes to the garnish, I think that citrus and olives, individually or together, drastically enhances this martini.

Doc’s Classic Martini

  • 1 1/2 oz. Gin – You’re favorite premium brand
  • 1/4 oz. Carpano Dry Vermouth
  • 1/4 oz. Carpano Bianco Vermouth
  • Dash of Doc Elliott’s Olive Bitters
  • Olives and/or Lemon peel for garnish
  1. Chill a cocktail glass with ice and water
  2. Combine the gin, vermouth’s and bitters in a mixing glass with ice and stir to chill
  3. Strain into chilled cocktail glass
  4. Garnish with Olives and/or Lemon peel

Cheers!