Bittermens

Avery and Janet Glasser started Bittermens in San Francisco in 2007 with a chocolate and spice bitters. The company makes cocktail bitters, added to drinks a dash at a time.

About Bittermens

Founded
2007
Known for
Xocolatl Mole Bitters, its first bitters

Xocolatl Mole Bitters came first. In 2007 Avery and Janet Glasser made their first batch of bitters in San Francisco, and demand for it led them to launch Bittermens. That first batch blended cacao, citrus peel, chili peppers and other botanicals.

By 2017 the Glassers managed the company from offices in Portland, Oregon.

Bittermens questions

What are chocolate and spice bitters, the style Bittermens started?

Cocktail bitters are concentrated extracts of spices and other botanicals (plant ingredients such as peels, roots and seeds) in alcohol, added to drinks by the dash. Bittermens' first bitters, Xocolatl Mole, made in San Francisco in 2007, blend cacao, citrus peel, chili peppers and other botanicals, and take their name from mole, the Mexican sauce.

Who founded Bittermens?

Avery and Janet Glasser founded Bittermens after making their first batch of bitters in San Francisco in 2007. In March 2017 the Sazerac Company, an American spirits maker, bought a strategic interest, meaning a part ownership stake. Under that 2017 deal the Glassers were to keep leading the business, and Sazerac took over sales, marketing and distribution, the work of getting bottles to stores and bars.

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