Bits & Bubs: Bitters & Soda Pairing Guide

Bitters and soda is a simple yet flavorful option to drink when you aren’t drinking.

With the popularity of non-alcoholic cocktails on the rise, there are more and more people feeling “sober curious”, and taking part in Dry January, Sober October or just curtailing their alcohol consumption in general. While there are an ever increasing number of booze-free beverages out there that mimic the experience of a cocktail, you can come up with some simple non-alcoholic options from what you already have behind your bar.

Bitters and soda is an easy-to-make alternative to drink when you aren’t drinking. Just add a few dashes of cocktail bitters to your favorite flavor of soda to create an effervescent and flavorful beverage. 

How much alcohol is in bitters & soda?

It is true that most bitters DO contain alcohol (ex. Angostura bitters contain 44.7% alcohol), but they are considered non-potable, their main purpose is to provide flavor. When a few dashes are added to a glass full of soda water or tonic the amount of alcohol in the drink is negligible. 

It’s hard to put an exact number on it, but someone that did the math themselves speculated the alcohol content in bitters and soda is somewhere under .003% ABV. Most non-alcoholic beers still contain 0.5%. While we definitely can’t say bitters and soda has zero alcohol in it, the amount is so miniscule you probably wouldn’t notice it. Ultimately it’s up to you to decide on your level of comfort with accepting it as a non-alcoholic drink. 

Bitters & Soda Pairings

With all the different varieties of bitters out there, it should be easy for you to find a combination that hits your taste buds just right. Do some experimenting on your own or check out some of our favorite pairings.

Soda Water + Aromatic Bitters 
Try this with: Angostura Aromatic Bitters

Tonic Water + Lime Bitters
Try this with: Fever Tree Indian Tonic Water & Scrappy’s Lime Bitters

Cola + Aromatic Bitters
Try this with: Fentimans Curiosity Cola & Scrappy's Aromatic Bitters

Ginger Ale + Whiskey Barrel Aged Bitters
Try this with: Fever Tree Premium Ginger Ale & Fee Brothers Whiskey Barrel-Aged Bitters

Lemon Lime Soda + Cranberry Bitters
Try this with: Fee Brothers Cranberry Bitters

Grapefruit Soda + Plum Bitters
Try this with: Fee Brothers Plum Bitters

Root Beer + Peychaud’s Bitters
Try this with: Boylan’s Root Beer & Peychaud's Aromatic Bitters

Bolder Bitters & Soda Pairings

Cola + Rhubarb & Lemon Bitters
Try this with: Fee Brothers Rhubarb Bitters & Fee Brothers Lemon Bitters

Ginger Ale + Celery & Ango Bitters
Try this with: Fever Tree Ginger Ale & Fee Brothers Celery Bitters

Lemon Lime + Chai & Orange Bitters
Try this with: Dashfire Chai'Walla Chai Bitters & Angostura Orange Bitters 

Cola + Mint & Chocolate Bitters
Try this with: Fee Brothers Mint Bitters & Fee Brothers Aztec Chocolate Bitters 

Root Beer + Toasted Almond & Chocolate Bitters
Try this with: Fee Brothers Toasted Almond Bitters

Non-Alcoholic Recipes Using Bitters

For those out there that like their cocktails a little more complex, we’ve also come up with some delightful non-alcoholic cocktails that use bitters and soda as their base.

Ginless & Tonic

Yield: 1 cocktail

Ingredients

• 2 dashes Bittermens Winter Melon Tart Bitters
• 3 dashes Lime Bitters
• Tonic Water
• Lime Wedge for garnish

Glassware

• Highball

Tools

• Bar Knife

Instructions

Fill a highball glass with ice, dash bitters over ice, then top with tonic water. Garnish with a lime wedge.

Calm Collins

Yield: 1 cocktail

Ingredients

• 2 dashes Bittermens Winter Melon Tart Bitters
• 3 dashes Lemon Bitters
• Club Soda
• Lemon Wheel and Maraschino cherry for garnish

Glassware

• Highball

Tools

• Bar Knife

Instructions

Fill a highball glass with ice, dash bitters over ice, then top with club soda. Garnish with a lemon wheel and maraschino cherry.

Sahara Mule

Yield: 1 cocktail

Ingredients

• 3 dashes Aromatic Bitters
• ½ oz fresh Lime Juice
• Ginger Beer
• Mint Sprig and Lime Wedge for garnish

Glassware

• Mule Mug

Tools

• Bar Knife
• Cocktail Jigger

Instructions

Fill a mule mug with ice, pour in lime juice and dash bitters over ice, then top with ginger beer. Garnish with a mint sprig and lime wedge.

Nada Pimm’s Cup

Yield: 1 cocktail

Ingredients

• 3 dashes Cardamom Bitters
• 3 dashes Peychaud’s Bitters
• ¾ oz fresh Lemon Juice
• ¾ oz Strawberry Nectar
• Ginger Ale
• Cucumber for garnish

Glassware

• Highball

Tools

• Bar Knife
• Cocktail Jigger

Instructions

Fill a highball glass with ice, pour in lemon juice and strawberry nectar. Dash bitters over ice, then top with ginger ale. Garnish with cucumber slices.

Bitters & Soda In A Can

If you want to enjoy bitters and soda away from the bar, but don’t want to take your bitters collection with you, then Hella Cocktail has a solution for you. They’ve created aromatic Bitters & Soda in a can that you can enjoy anywhere. They are made from the same gentian tincture used in Angostura bitters. The Dry Bitters & Soda has a crisp, effervescent flavor while the Spritz Bitters & Soda has a sweetness similar to a Negroni. 

Next time you’re at the bar with friends, and you don’t feel like waking up with a hangover, give bitters and soda a try. It’s a great option if you don’t want to advertise that you’re taking a break from drinking.