UMTravels

Today’s excitement is liquor shopping and a run to Boulder to see about getting some herbs for a bitters recipe that Dan wants to make:

Damiana Bitters

by Darcy O’Neil :: [Bitters]

Around 1875 a bitters based on the damiana plant was sold under the name of “Aztec Damiana Bitters” as well as “Liquor Potencial de Damiana”. The damiana plant was often used as a nerve tonic, as well as a purported aphrodisiac. This recipe comes from the Standard Manual of Soda (1899) so it was probably used in drinks and the following recipe shows a flavour profile similar to other aromatic and cocktail bitters.

Damiana Bitters Recipe:

Damiana            1 oz

Angostura Bark        ½ oz

Bitter Orange Peel        ½ oz

Canada Snake Root        ½ oz

Lemon Peel            ¼ oz

Cardamom            1 tsp

Cloves                1 tsp

Coriander            ½ tsp

Dilute Alcohol (20%)        16 oz

Instructions: Reduce the spices to a coarse powder in a mortar and then mix with the dilute alcohol and macerate for 48 hours.
Or make the bitters, mix 1 fluid ounce of extract with 10 ounces of water and 5 of alcohol. Damiana Wine-Bitters may be prepared by substituting sweet catawba or sherry wine for the dilute alcohol.

Also went shopping for a few more things for dinner, a little swordfish, a couple of buffalo sausages – to go with the rib eye steaks, mashed potatoes and ensalata capresè. No guests tonight.

To bed strangely early.

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