Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Pinterest It is not a myth that alcohol makes anyone more confident and gives people that little dose of liquid courage. For Valentine’s Day, it might just be what some singles need to get that extra nudge to say hello to their crush or to muster up the courage to buy a drink for someone at the bar. Bitters is a bar in BGC that plays around with the idea of being a “singles” bar. With the tagline “Walk in bitter. Walk out taken,” we thought they might just be the perfect joint for singles this Valentine’s Day. DrinkManila asked the doctor of cocktails, Lee Watson, owner of Bitters and proprietor of bars Mandalay and ABV, to give us cocktail suggestions for the bitters and the singles on Valentine’s Day. Lee Watson Amore e Amaro Amore e Amaro DrinkManila asked Lee to come up with an impromptu cocktail, a drink that reminds him of love. This drink is not on the Bitters menu but if you mention it to the bartender, they might make it for you on Valentine’s Day. Lee says the cocktail was “inspired by my recent trip to Italy, where I was educated by Luca Picchi on the nuances of the Negroni. A balance of sweet and bitter sprinkled with spice, with a long, loving finish. Just like my lover.” This drink does remind you of love— it’s aromatic and enticing. Taste it and the crimson flavors of the Negroni will explode, as though the flavors get deeper as you sip. The drink leaves a long lasting finish, and like love, it is a bit bitter in the end but leaves a lasting impression. Ingredients: 1 oz Chivas Extra (Sherry finish) 1 oz Cinzano 1757 Rosso ¾ oz Blood Orange Amaro 5 ml Santa Maria Novella Alkermes Bitters Glass: Coupe Garnish: flamed orange twist, shaped like a heart Directions: Add all ingredients in a mixing glass with ice and stir. Strain into a chilled coupe. Garnish with a flaming orange twist cut into a heart shape and skewered with a pick. Negroni’s Love Child This version of the Negroni is light, refreshing, and approachable. A sweeter wine replaces the gin, making the drink less bitter. The name of the drink is derived from the stories that Lee heard during his last visit to Italy. “I met this bartender named Luca Picchi, the author of the book Negroni Cocktail: An Italian Legend. I learned about Negroni directly from him. The Negroni was created by Count Camillo Negroni. He was a fascinating character. He supposedly got a woman pregnant and left for the US to hide and became a cowboy for several years before returning to Italy. So, that story was fresh from my trip, and we were doing a twist on the Negroni, and technically this is a twist to a Negroni Sbagliato, a Negroni where the gin is replaced with a Prosecco.” This drink is something to start the night with—“something you drink before you make a love child or something that leads up to the love child,” Lee says with a grin. Ingredients: ¾ oz. Campari ¾ oz. sweet vermouth 2 drops Miracle Mile Forbidden Bitters Asti Martini Directions: Pour Campari, sweet vermouth, and bitters ingredients in a flute. Top with Asti Martini. Garnish with an orange twist. Smoke Sour Smoke Sour This cocktail is for people who are feeling a bit sour. The sour feeling will go away after having a few glasses of this smoky drink. Unlike the usual smoky sours, this version is lighter-bodied because of the ratio of half smoky whisky and half dry vermouth, so, it goes down way too easily. Ingredients: 1 oz. Ardbeg 10 Years Old 1 oz. dry vermouth ¾ oz. lemon juice ½ oz. honey egg white thyme Directions: Pour all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake until chilled. Strain and pour in a different shaker, then dry shake. Double strain to chilled coupe. Garnish with Angustura bitters and shape the droplets into heart and top with thyme on the side. Wink and Minx (A his and hers drink) This drink ties in perfectly well with the whole singles bar concept of Bitters. In partnership with Jameson whisky, they created a drink for two people for the price of one. The idea is buy this drink and give the other drink to a person you like from the bar with a coaster that has the giver’s name and number. Wink Ingredients: Jameson Lemon Honey Tonic bitters Tarragon Direction: Pour all ingredients in a shaker. Strain into a rock glass with fresh ice and garnish with tarragon. Minx Ingredients: Jameson Strawberry puree Pear-balsamic syrup Sweet vermouth Lemon juice Directions: Pour all ingredients in a shaker, add ice, and shake. Strain in a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a rosemary sprig. Torch the rosemary to release a smoked aroma. Potion No. 7 Potion No. 7 is available only for the single ladies every Saturday. If you’re single, you get to have as many glasses of these as you want, as long as you prove to the bar that you are really single. Make sure your social media feed doesn’t give your relationship status away. This drink is made with different aphrodisiac ingredients; it has a very interesting vegetal taste balanced by the citrus and the strong notes of the tequila. It’s one of DrinkManila’s favorites among the list so make sure you try this when you visit the bar. And if you’re scared of the okra, don’t fret because once it’s mixed as a cocktail you’ll forget that the okra (or at least its slimy texture) is even there. Okra infused tequila Ingredients: Okra-infused tequila Arugula honey syrup Herb saline (water, salt, and oregano) Thai chilies Lemon juice Oleo Sacchrum (lemon peels muddled in sugar) Ginger ale Soda water Directions: Build all ingredients in a punch bowl. Serve with ice and garnish with microgreens. Bartenders Ian Serdick Libang and Glenn Talavera will be Bitters contender for Philippine’s Diageo World Class Bartender of the Year 2017 Photos by Star Sabroso, assisted by Chiin Gandia