The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks dinner or mid-afternoon drinks accompanying cake or chocolate cookies, but they are anathema as a "cocktail" before a large meal. In terms of IBA Official Cocktails, Embury describes classic Before-Dinner Cocktails, which whet the appetite, not other categories. Embury breaks all cocktail ingredients down into three categories: The base is the principal ingredient of the cocktail. It is typically a single spirit such as rum, gin, or whiskey, and typically makes up 75 percent or more of the total volume of the cocktail before icing. The modifying agent is the ingredient that gives the cocktail its character. Its function is
Orange bitters Orange bitters Orange bitters is a form of bitters, a cocktail flavoring made from the peels of Seville oranges, cardamom, caraway seed, coriander and burnt sugar in an alcohol base. Orange bitters, which are not to be confused with standard Angostura bitters, are currently enjoying a resurgence among cocktail enthusiasts. For many years, it was difficult to find orange bitters in the United States and elsewhere. Because of this, some cocktail recipes which traditionally contained orange bitters may now exclude that ingredient. Renowned mixologist Gary Regan created Regan's Orange Bitters in the 1990s. Regan's are bottled and sold by the