About The Bitter Club
You wouldn't cook without seasoning. So why make your drinks without it?
That's the whole philosophy in one line. Everything that follows is just the story of how I got here — and almost none of it was planned.
How it started (by accident)
Most founders will tell you they had a five-year plan from day one. I had a love of bourbon and questionable impulse control.
I fell for bourbon while living in America, and when I moved home to London I missed it enough to drag a few friends all the way to Kentucky for the Bourbon Trail. (They came willingly. The hungover tasting on day two tested that goodwill.)
I got so hooked on the craft of distilling that I took a course — and while revising for the exam, I started blending my own cocktail bitters. Mostly to see what would happen. Some flavours should never share a jar. Trust me on this.
Then I set out to make the perfect bitters for my favourite drink: an Old Fashioned. After more testing than I'd care to admit, Cinnamon & Orange was born. Two more followed — Grapefruit & Elderberry and Hibiscus & Rose — a trio built to unlock the three dimensions every great drink needs: aromatic, fruity, and floral.
What bitters do
Think of bitters as seasoning for your glass. A few dashes tie flavours together, lift the aromatics, and add the kind of complexity that makes people ask what's in it. They turn a perfectly good drink into a seriously delicious one — from a proper Old Fashioned right down to your everyday G&T.
You wouldn't serve a dish without salt. Same energy.
How we make them
Every bottle is made in small batches, with natural ingredients and zero artificial sugars or flavourings. No shortcuts, no mystery powders — just real flavour, carefully built and hand-filled.
We keep waste low, too. The packaging is recyclable, and your empty bottles make excellent homes for sugar syrup.
The next generation: Bitters & Tonic
Here's what years of perfecting bitters teaches you: the best-kept secret in any good bar isn't a cocktail at all. It's bitters and mixers — the drink that non-drinkers have quietly drunk for years.
So I packaged it. Properly.
Bitters & Tonic is everything I love about a great drink, ready to pour. We've blended our bitters with Double Dutch Skinny Tonic into a 250ml can with real complexity — and none of the regret. At under 0.5% ABV, it's about as alcoholic as a very ripe banana - just so you know - and only 45 calories a can.
It comes in the trio you already know: Cinnamon Orange, Hibiscus Rose, and Grapefruit Elderberry. Complexity without consequence. Indulgence without sacrifice.
This isn't a new drink. It's a new default.
join the club
The Bitter Club isn't just about an ingredient — it's a better way to drink. Whether you're seasoning your own cocktails or cracking open a Bitters & Tonic, we'll bring real flavour to your glass.
So go on. Get shaking. (Or, if shaking sounds like effort, just open a can.)
Love,
Ro
Founder, The Bitter Club