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House-Made
Cocktail Bitters

Made at the bar. Shipped to your door.

Made in-house at Sugar House using the same recipes our bartenders reach for every night. Five flavors, each built from whole botanicals, spices, and citrus peels — then bottled in 5 oz glass bottles and shipped anywhere in the US.

A few dashes change everything.

"Bitters are the seasoning of the cocktail world. Where salt finishes a dish, bitters finish a drink."

House-made cocktail bitters collection | Sugar House Detroit
House-Made Orange Bitters | Sugar House Detroit

House-Made Orange Bitters

$19.95
5 oz bottle — ships nationally
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House-Made Root Beer Bitters | Sugar House Detroit

House-Made Root Beer Bitters

$19.95
5 oz bottle — ships nationally
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House-Made Chocolate Bitters | Sugar House Detroit

House-Made Chocolate Bitters

$19.95
5 oz bottle — ships nationally
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House-Made Tiki Bitters | Sugar House Detroit

House-Made Tiki Bitters

$19.95
5 oz bottle — ships nationally
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House-Made Grapefruit Cardamom Bitters | Sugar House Detroit

House-Made Grapefruit Cardamom Bitters

$19.95
5 oz bottle — ships nationally
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Pairing Guide

Orange Bitters

The workhorse

Old Fashioned — The classic pairing. Orange bitters bridge the bourbon and sugar, tying the drink together the way it’s been done for over a century.

Martini — A few dashes add complexity to gin or vodka. The orange oils round out the vermouth without overpowering it.

Manhattan — Rounds out the sweet vermouth. The bitter citrus keeps the drink from leaning too heavy.

Champagne Cocktail — The original bitters cocktail. Just sugar, bitters, and bubbles. Nothing else needed.

Chocolate Bitters

Depth without sweetness

Espresso Martini — Amplifies the coffee without competing. The cocoa undertone makes the espresso taste richer than it should.

Brandy Alexander — Makes the cream richer. Chocolate bitters add a savory backbone that keeps the dessert cocktail from going saccharine.

Mexican Hot Chocolate Cocktail — With ancho chile liqueur and mezcal. The bitters tie the smokiness to the chocolate in a way that stirring alone won’t accomplish.

Root Beer Bitters

Nostalgic warmth

Bourbon Old Fashioned — Vanilla and sarsaparilla complement barrel-aged spirits. The root beer bitters pull out the caramel and oak notes hiding in your bourbon.

Dark Rum Flip — Cream, egg, spice. A winter drink that tastes like it belongs by a fireplace. The bitters give it depth beyond the egg and rum.

Root Beer Float Cocktail — With vanilla vodka and cream soda. Sounds nostalgic. Tastes like a grown-up version of exactly what you remember.

Tiki Bitters

Tropical spice

Mai Tai — Allspice and cinnamon lift the orgeat. The bitters give the drink a spice backbone that connects the lime and rum layers.

Zombie — Reinforces the cinnamon syrup. Three rums need something to unify them, and tiki bitters do that work.

Painkiller — Tropical depth that rum alone can’t deliver. The nutmeg in the bitters mirrors the garnish and deepens the pineapple.

Dark & Stormy — Spiced ginger beer meets spiced bitters. Each sip hits twice.

Grapefruit Cardamom Bitters

Bright meets warm

Gin & Tonic — The citrus layers with botanical gin. Cardamom bridges the juniper and quinine in a way that plain grapefruit can’t.

Paloma — Grapefruit on grapefruit, but with spice. The cardamom gives the tequila something warm to hold onto.

Aperol Spritz — Adds complexity to a simple drink. The bitters make the Aperol’s bitterness more intentional, less one-note.

Vodka Soda Upgrade — Turns a boring drink into something worth ordering. Two dashes and a grapefruit twist change everything.

Made at the Bar

Not in a factory. The same recipes that go into your drinks when you visit Sugar House. Small-batch production, whole botanicals, no shortcuts.

Built for Bartenders

Concentrated flavor, balanced for cocktail use. Two to three dashes per drink. Our orange bitters have sat behind the bar since 2011.

Ships to Your Door

5 oz glass bottles, USPS nationwide. Orders ship within 2-3 business days. No minimums.

Pair with Our Barware

Jiggers, mixing glasses, bar spoons. The same tools our bartenders use nightly.

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Learn How to Use Them

Hands-on cocktail classes at Sugar House. Walk in curious, leave confident.

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Discover Cocktail Recipes

The Vault: recipes, techniques, and stories from behind the bar.

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Common Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

Concentrated flavor extracts made by infusing high-proof spirits with botanicals, spices, roots, bark, and fruit peels. A few dashes transform a drink. They bridge flavors the way salt works in cooking.

Start with 2–3 dashes per drink. Bitters go into stirred cocktails like Old Fashioneds, Manhattans, and Sazeracs. They also balance sweetness in sours and tiki drinks.

Bitters have an extremely long shelf life thanks to their high alcohol content. An opened bottle stays potent for years stored at room temperature away from direct sunlight.

We make our bitters in-house using the same recipes our bartenders use nightly. Small-batch, higher-quality botanicals, more concentrated flavor, and combinations you won’t find from mass-market brands.

Orange bitters are the most versatile starting point. They work in whiskey cocktails, gin drinks, and champagne cocktails. Our chocolate bitters are the second pick for home bartenders.

Yes. All five bitters ship anywhere in the US. Orders ship within 2–3 business days via USPS.

The Vault

Off-menu cocktails. Stories from 15 years behind the bar.

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