What are the opening hours?

Monday 11am - 4pm Tuesday 10am - 5:30pm Wednesday 10am - 5:30pm Thursday 10am - 5:30pm Friday 10am - 5:30pm Saturday 10am - 5:30pm Sunday 11am - 4pm

The Bitters Lab

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Australia
Melbourne, VIC
The Bitters Lab

Specialising in cocktail bitters, tonics, syrups, shrubs, vermouths, Amari, liqueurs, books & barware
(7)

12/09/2024

Produced by the oldest established port producer in the world, Kopke Dry White Port is a rich, dry style of port perfectly suited as a robust cocktail ingredient or for enjoying on its own.

Traditional Douro grape varieties are fermented in stainless-steel tanks at controlled temperatures to ensure a consistently fresh and aromatic style. Grape brandy is added to halt the fermentation process and fortify the wine, leaving 55g/L of residual sugar. This is followed by ageing in stainless-steel and wood for a minimum of 3 years, resulting in a rich and balanced wine.

Straw yellow with floral notes and tropical fruit on the nose. Rounded and semi-dry with notes of apricot, chestnuts, and lemon on the palate.

Enjoy in a Porto Tónico (white port & tonic), Belafonte, Astral Plane, or Kobra. Use as an alternate substitute for dry vermouth, or split the gin base of classic cocktails for a lower ABV drink.

08/09/2024

Bonal Is Back In Stock

Orphaned at age 12, Hyppolyte Bonal was sent to Grande Chartreuse—the head monastery of the Carthusians—nestled in the Chartreuse mountains. After studying medicine he served as a doctor for the monastery for eight years before moving to a nearby town. During contemplative walks in the surrounding mountains, Bonal collected local flora to study its medicinal qualities. This led him to create his eponymous digestif wine in 1865, which was nicknamed “ouvre l'appétit" (key to the appetite) and acquired by Maison Dolin in nearby Chambéry.

Bonal Gentiane-Quina is a hybrid aromatised wine using both gentian root and cinchona bark infused alongside mountain herbs in a base of mistelle—partilally fermented grape juice fortified with spirit.

Balanced sweetness with juicy plum, citrus peel, alpine herb, and cinchona notes finishing with a fine bitterness.

Enjoy chilled paired with salted nuts and hard cheese, or mix with dry cider, tonic, lager or sparkling wine. Substitute for quinquina, Americano, or sweet vermouth in cocktails.

06/09/2024

Open today from 10am till 5:30pm and we have some delicious Aelred Melonade back in stock.

Made in the heart of Drôme Provençale, Melonade uses Cavaillon melons grown in Provence to capture a sunny holiday afternoon in a bottle.

Ripe and juicy melon without cloying sweetness—eminently drinkable.

Enjoy over ice with dry sparkling wine. Try adding it to desserts for a burst of fruit.

04/09/2024

Vermouth built on a base of oxidative sherries? Yes please!

Fernando de Castilla Vermut is made from Pedro Ximénez and oloroso sherries combined with 27 botanicals in American oak, producing a wonderful Jerez-style sweet vermouth.

Dark mahogany in colour, on the nose it is citric and herbal with notes of aged sherry. On the palate it is sweet and slightly bitter, with a soft and very pleasant finish.

Enjoy in classic cocktails like a Manhattan or Negroni to bring a new depth of flavour, or simply serve over ice with orange peel, paired with olives or toasted almonds.

01/09/2024

Manzanilla & Pedro Ximinéz Sherries
from Fernando de Castilla

We’ve rounded out our offering of excellent quality sherry from Fernando de Castilla with their Manzanilla & Pedro Ximinéz.

Both offer classic expressions of their respective styles. Rich raisin, dried fruit and baking spice from the Pedro Ximinéz. Peach blossom and ocean breeze salinity with the Manzanilla.

We love the Manzanilla as a substitute for dry vermouth in classic cocktails, try it in a Dirty Martini. The Pedro Ximinéz makes a great addition to a Manhattan or an Espresso Martini.

30/08/2024

Open today 10am till 5:30pm!

Come visit and check out the new Vermouth we have added to the range.

Lachanenche Vermouth au Génépi

Vermouths are traditionally flavoured with the leaves of wormwood Artemisia absinthium, Genepi Liqueurs are however flavoured by steeping the flowers into spirit. Lachanenche Vermouth au Génépi straddles both of these worlds by infusing Wormwood flowers into vermouth. Mountain herbs, spices and honey round out the ingredients.

Free from extracts, concentrates and artificial colourings.

Rich and heady aromas of honey and white fruit that evolve into a bouquet of thyme and rosemary. Delicate bitterness of genepi. Long, generous finish.

Try it in a simple spritz, mixed with tonic or as the base for a Mule.

28/08/2024

Having recently gone through some recipe updates and reformulation, we have gotten our hands on some of the new Okar Bitter.

Handcrafted by the Applewood team in Adelaide Hills, this bitter is made from botanicals native to the coastal rainforests of Australia. With native riberries, fresh davidson plums and aromatic strawberry gum leaves, Okar Bitter showcases a unique expression of our sunburnt country.

Cherry red in colour, Okar Bitter heralds a fresh botanical bitter assortment of native plums, rhubarb and strawberry eucalyptus, supercharged with a Grenache blend, this aperitivo is the answer to your cocktail needs.

27/08/2024

!NEW BITTERS!

Inspired by the flavour profile of a famous, and long time defunct bitters brand of Baltimore, MD, The Bitter Truth pay once again tribute to those who came before them and who played a significant role in the first golden age of the cocktail.

The Bitter Truth Black Cherry Bitters surprise with complex notes of root beer, followed by a wave of intense and lush morello cherries and balanced notes of licorice, gentian, and other aromatic ingredients that make it a true bitters to crown a cocktail.

All ingredients are selected with judicious care, and compounded properly. Just as beauty is an impossibility without a sparkle to the eye, so is a cocktail incomplete unless the right bitters within its depths have been selected with care. The purposes of The Bitter Truth Black Cherry Bitters are without limits and they are the little something to the cocktail that causes jovial folk to smack their lips and to order some more.

Intense Morello Cherry notes, a delicate sourness lingers around which lead into medicinal notes of Tonka beans, earthy gentian notes and light flavors of artichokes.

17/08/2024

Father’s Day is fast approaching! Come visit, let us help put together the perfect cocktail gift!

24/07/2024

Check out these pins! Perfect gifts for the bartender or cocktail enthusiast that already has everything else!

22/07/2024

Bitters are the seasoning of cocktail making. In the same way no dish is complete without salt & pepper, any cocktail can be improved upon with the addition of Bitters.

We stock Australia's largest selection of Bitters, with about 250 different kinds. We have most of them available to try in-store on our tasting table.

Visit us, try some bitters and find some new favourites for your cocktail making!

17/07/2024

One of our essentials, The Luxardo Original Maraschino Cherries were first produced at the Luxardo plant in Zara around 1905, likely to be the first of their kind in the world.

They are sour Marasca cherries candied with syrup. The Luxardo family exclusively cultivates over 30,000 Marasca Cherry trees on the Euganean Hills in the Veneto region of Italy. These cherries are also used by the family for distilling its renowned Maraschino Liqueur.

16/07/2024

Antonio Benedetto Carpano is credited with the creation of the first modern vermouth at his Turin shop in 1786. Italian white grape varieties from the Romagna, Puglia, and Sicily regions are used to form the base wine which is combined with multifarious botanical infusions and caramelised sugar according to Carpano’s antique formula. Antica Formula stands out for its unique and unmistakable notes of high quality vanilla from the tropical regions of Madagascar, Papua New Guinea and Tahiti.

A well-rounded, rich vanilla taste mingles with raisin, cloves, cassia, bitter orange, and saffron. Notes of caramel, bay leaves, chocolate, and coffee. A full-bodied, intense recreation of an antique formula from Milan, this sweet vermouth is certainly among the richest of its category.

Use whenever an italian, sweet, rosso, or red vermouth is called for. Particularly when paired with rich dark spirits such as in a Manhattan.

01/07/2024

Open today 11am till 4:30pm.

Come past, browse our curated selection of cocktail essentials and oddities. Flick through some cocktail books and ask us all of your questions about all things drink making!

26/06/2024

Reminder, we have some of the world’s most amazing Vermouth on offer for you to take home for all your cocktail needs.

Like these beautiful bottles from .
Made from honey wine, full of rich botanicals and perfect for cocktails or just for enjoying on their own.

Come down and check out the range!

12/06/2024

New at The Bitters Lab

Marionette Pineapple Liqueur 🍍

Last year Marionette scoured sunny Queensland, for the sweetest pineapple about. And on the hunt through the tropical farms stretching 2000km north of the Sunshine Coast’s Iconic Big Pineapple, they landed in Mareeba. Here they found perfect baby pineapples at Piñata farms, picked small for extra sweetness. This family business was first started as “whispering pines” in the 60s”, but these days the joy that their pineapples bring warrants more of a raucous cheer.

Bright green pineapple skins on the nose, with a palate of fresh pineapple acid, and a punch of bold true fruit flavour. The skins add a green clove spice, with a finish of tropical fruit warmth.

Enjoy in a Jungle Bird, Rum Old Fashioned, or Hotel National Special.

Visit the store and try a splash! 🍍🍍

04/06/2024

Just a reminder, we have a great clearance sale going on right now! Lots of reduced to clear items at really discounted prices. Sure some items might be close to or past their best before, but the discounts more than make up for it! Come save some syrups from being wasted!

28/05/2024

Some scenes from around the store today.

For any one not familiar with us, we are The Bitters Lab. Melbournes destination specialty store for all things cocktails. With Australia’s largest selection of cocktail bitters, we’ve got something to add to every drink!

Come by and visit us and taste your way through our selection.

13/05/2024

World Cocktail Day today! No secret that we are huge fans of cocktails. Originally defined as a combination of spirit, sugar, water & of course, bitters. Cocktails have sure grown lots since these humble beginnings.

What’s everyone’s favourite cocktail?

04/05/2024

Cold weather getting you down? Come peruse our range of spicy bitters to warm you and your drinks up!

We used some Memphis Barbecue Bitters and some Demerara Syrup in this Whisky Sour to add some smoky heat and rich molasses flavour. Might be biased, but we think it’s pretty tasty.

60ml bourbon
30ml lemon juice
15ml Demerara Syrup
3 drops of Wonderfoam
3 dashes Memphis Barbecue Bitters

Shake everything with ice. Double strain into a chilled glass. Garnish with some chilli flakes.

30/04/2024

Big restock on the excellent range of bitters from

Australian made bitters that hero Indigenous flavours. Pundi Bitters sprung out of a collaboration between Pundi Produce, a native food company from South Australia’s Riverland Region, and Full Circle Spirits.

Three great flavours that explore the life of a tree.

WOOD
Wattleseed and smoked wood with peppercorn, river mint and native honey warm the soul. Pale brown. Great match for darker spirits, like rum, whiskey.

LEAVES

Lush river mint on a tropical breeze of native lemongrass, finger lime, lemon-scented eucalyptus and lemon myrtle. Light green. Think herbal & citrus driven cocktails.

FRUIT

Warm and tangy rosella, quandong, holy basil and native honey carry a hint of clove to the bitter finish. Match with fruit forward cocktails.

24/04/2024

Hey everyone, just a reminder we will be closed for the public holiday tomorrow, Thursday 25/4. Back on Friday for all your cocktail needs.

23/04/2024

Ever delicious and always popular, is a mainstay in our store for good reason. Made from fresh Australian rhubarb juice with added juniper spirit, gentian, grapefruit and mandarin.

Enjoy it with soda as an aperitif, or shake it up in cocktails. You can’t go wrong with this one!

17/04/2024

Some fun new vermouth and amaro in the store recently. Come by and check them out!

25/03/2024

With Easter coming up, it’s time for our annual look at all things Chocolate Bitters.

It’s a category of bitters that have become one of the core flavours across most brands. If someone is making bitters, chances are they are making some kind of Chocolate Bitters.

Above we have,

1. Spiced Chocolate Bitters. Bitter chocolate nose with dark chocolate, cinnamon & baking spice flavours on the palate.

2. Cacao & Macadamia Bitters. Rich cacao nib with dry, nutty Macadamia nuts with hints of coffee, sultanas and allspice.

3. Chocolate Bitters. Big bitter dark chocolate flavours here. Rich and intense, great for holding its own against big flavours.

4. Spiced Cocoa Bitters. Alcohol free bitters packed with extreme chocolate flavour with hits of oak and a light spice from cayenne pepper.

5. Chocolate Bitters. One of our most enduringly popular Chocolate bitters. Bittersweet chocolate with notes of roast coffee, malt and dry bitterness.

19/03/2024

Anyone collect rare bottles? Well do we ever have something for you. Angostura is famously labeled with an oversized label thanks to a supposed communication error between the person organising the labels and the person organising the bottles. People loved it though and the design has stood the test of time.

Let us introduce an even rarer packaging error, the back to front label. All of the same information on a usual bottle, but completely obscured due to the printed side being affixed face down on the bottle.

This is not to be missed. A true conversation starting piece for the collect of life’s fine things. Accepting bids via DM from AUD $23.95. Get in touch if you want to make this limited edition yours today!

House of Angostura

18/03/2024

Back in stock

Amaro Trentino

Hailing from the Trentino in the north of Italy, Amaro Trentino is sweet & lightly bitter, with herbs like woodruff, peppermint, centaury & gentian providing the delicate, herbaceous flavour.

Made by Cappelletti since the late 1950s, Amaro Trentino is a great supper by itself and a tremendous ingredient for use in cocktails. Try it in a spritz or in a shakerato!

06/03/2024

After a short absence from the store, the very excellent Cardamaro is back in stock and available now. Super interesting wine based amaro, that’s sits between vermouth and amaro in all the best ways.

Primarily flavoured with cardoon & blessed thistle - borne relatives of artichoke - it also brings aloe, rhubarb, gentian, cinchona, lemon bark, coriander and vanilla along.

Delicately bitter, with notes of Christmas fruit, fig, ginger & grape. This results in a sublime richness with the weight of a sweet vermouth. Excellent solo and a tremendous ingredient to play with in cocktail making.

05/03/2024

Quick & Easy Vermouth Cocktails up on the blog today. Check out these super simple recipes to whip up with the bottle of vermouth you hopefully have stored in the fridge.

Address

Shop 9, 397 Smith Street
Melbourne, VIC
3065

Opening Hours

Monday	11am - 4pm
Tuesday	10am - 5:30pm
Wednesday	10am - 5:30pm
Thursday	10am - 5:30pm
Friday	10am - 5:30pm
Saturday	10am - 5:30pm
Sunday	11am - 4pm

Website

http://www.thebitterslab.com.au/

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Open today 10am till 5:30pm. Come shop all things cocktail and ask Angus about his deep seated love for all things Cynar. Also why is there no artichoke emoji? #cocktails #amaro #cynar #bitters #homebar

We have got a whole stack of fun things on sale to clear right now! Available in store and online @only_bitters We are open today from 10am till 5:30pm. Come down and keep an eye out for the clearance stickers!

Book it to The Bitters Lab! Lots of great cocktail books available now! #books #cocktailbook #cocktails

While shipping dates have passed to get gifts delivered before Christmas Day, we are open for in store shopping and click and collect right up until Christmas Eve! Come grab a cocktail book, they make excellent gifts. Maybe grab a bottle of something to make one of the recipes! #cocktails #cocktailbooks

New Bitters available now! Check the new range from @rootsidebitters Root Beer Bitters - Big notes of vanilla & mallow root for A Dr Pepper finish. We love this dashed into a pineapple daiquiri. Orange Bitters - Classic flavour for classic cocktails. 🍊forward with a good level of spice to back it up. New Orleans - elevated classic notes of cherry and anise. Bright red and ready for a sazerac or really lean in and use these in place of Aromatic Bitters in a Trinidad sour spin. Ready to taste in store now! #cocktails #bitters