What are bitters and how are they used?

Bitters are highly concentrated flavoring agents, often made from a variety of botanicals, including herbs, spices, and fruits. They are used in cocktails to enhance complexity and depth of flavor. By adding just a few dashes of bitters to a drink, bartenders can introduce a balance of flavors, often bringing out the sweetness of other ingredients or complementing the overall profile of the cocktail. Their unique and intense flavor is essential in classic cocktails such as the Old Fashioned or the Manhattan, where they contribute to the drink's aromatic and flavor complexity.

The other choices do not accurately describe bitters. Sweet mixers are typically liquors or syrups added for sweetness, while bitters serve a different purpose by adding a bitter, aromatic quality rather than sweetness. Beer-infused mixers would refer to ingredients that have beer as a base or component, which is distinctly different from bitters. Similarly, fruit purees are primarily used for sweetness and texture in cocktails but do not have the concentrated flavor profile that bitters provide. Thus, bitters play a distinctive and critical role in cocktail mixology that focuses on flavor enhancement rather than sweetness.