Maple-Cardamom Old Fashioned Bitters Recipe on Food52 (2024)

FAQs

What to use cardamom bitters in? ›

With unique fall-inspired flavor profiles like lemon, black peppercorn, and nutmeg, Cardamom bitters make for an unparalleled match with your favorite rum or whiskey-infused co*cktails! Put half of the whiskey and lemon in one jar and the other half and spices in the other.

An Old Fashioned calls for two to three dashes of bitters—no more, no less—that are added to the glass once the sugar or simple syrup is in. While the amount seems small, having too many or too few dashes can dramatically change the taste makeup of the drink. The type and quality of bitters matters too.

Commonly consumed after a meal, cardamom is a terrific digestion aid and is frequently used to settle upset stomach, tame nausea, and even freshens your breath. Strongwater Golden bitters is infused with whole organic green cardamom pods. Try it in tea, coffee, desserts, or use alone as a natural breath freshener.

While their ingredient ratios vary, bitters are made of water, alcoholic spirits, and botanicals. High-proof alcoholic spirits are ideal for making bitters. Carminative herbs, which aid digestion, are the most traditional botanicals. However, many modern bitters makers choose their botanicals for flavor alone.

The liver is a powerhouse organ. So, it's important that it stays in tip-top shape to ensure that it's capable of handling the many functions it's tasked with. Cardamom can help in doing so, as it has been shown to reduce liver fat, lower liver stress, prevent liver enlargement and simply improve overall liver health.

Cardamom harmonizes beautifully with warming spices, such as cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg, to infuse dishes with captivating essence. Bringing forth a medley of flavor, this remarkable spice can elevate a variety of dishes, like stews, soups and curries, baked goods, desserts, and beverages such as coffee or tea.

It's also important to remember that bitters are made with alcohol, so you shouldn't take them if you're pregnant or nursing, or if you're in recovery.

How Long Do Bitters Last? While we hate to see a bottle of bitters collecting dust on your home bar they do last indefinitely. They are bottled at about 70 proof or 35% alcohol, so they are perfectly preserved. However, it is possible that the flavor will change over time.

Your homemade batch won't be as strongly bitter, but you'll see what I mean about this being an unusual, not fully palatable flavor on its own. Bitters are meant to be used in conjunction with something else (a co*cktail, a glass of seltzer) and should be composed with this future blending in mind.

Potential Risks of Cardamom

People with gallstones should not take cardamom except to flavor food. We also need more research to determine the effects of large amounts of cardamom on women who are pregnant or breastfeeding. Talk to your doctor if you're considering taking cardamom as a supplement.

What happens if we eat cardamom daily? ›

It is often considered safe for most people and usually causes no side effects. However, some people have experienced allergic reactions after consuming it, including skin rashes and breathing difficulties. It can also cause gastrointestinal upset, such as diarrhoea and abdominal pain.

Cardamom seed intake may have an influence on the level of hormones in females, it may have potential action as an endocrine disruptor (causes damage to hormone-secreting glands). While more studies are needed on these lines, you must consult your Ayurvedic doctor for advice on cardamom consumption.

On average, bitters last around 5 years.

However, there's no need to refrigerate bitters. Even though there are organic compounds in bitters, the amount of alcohol acts as a natural sterilizer and preservation agent. So, feel free to leave it on your bar cart or in your liquor storage cabinets without having to worry.

Bitters give the liver a boost by aiding in the elimination of toxins and detoxification, coordinating the metabolism of sugar and fats, and helping release gallbladder-supporting hormones like cholecystokinin (CCK).

The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) considers co*cktail bitters to be a food flavoring extract.

It has a distinctive flavor that complements both sweet and savory dishes. People may use cardamom seeds and pods in curries, desserts, and meat dishes, as well as in beverages, such as coffee and chai tea. People may purchase cardamom as: whole seed pods with the seeds inside.

Cardamom is used for digestion problems including heartburn, intestinal spasms, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), intestinal gas, constipation, liver and gallbladder complaints, and loss of appetite. It is also used for common cold, cough, bronchitis, sore mouth and throat, and tendency toward infection.

It also fuses perfectly with dreamy, musky rose; dry, balsamic cedar, cool, minty eucalyptus; aromatic rosemary; warm, inviting cinnamon; hot, piquant clove and rich, jasmine-nuanced ylang ylang.

Cardamom has a unique and distinctive flavor. It's challenging to describe but has peppery, piney, eucalyptus, and menthol-like notes, but the taste of cardamom is also floral with hints of citrus. This blend of sweet, peppery, pungent, and aromatic flavors actually makes it an incredibly versatile spice.