Fee Brothers Molasses Bitters 5oz

Fee Brothers has been producing bitters and bar essentials in Rochester, New York since 1864, a family run business now well past its 150th anniversary that has expanded its Joseph Avenue headquarters as demand for its bitters line has grown. It remains one of the last continuous American manufacturers of bitters from the pre-craft cocktail era, still producing everything domestically.

Molasses Bitters centers on blackstrap molasses, the darkest and most intense molasses remaining after sugar has been extracted from sugar cane, combined with nutmeg and roasted coffee for what the company describes as a historical Caribbean profile. Like several other Fee Brothers releases, it uses a glycerin base rather than high proof alcohol, which keeps the alcohol content low and gives the bitters a thicker, syrupy texture built for weight rather than sharp extraction.

The bitters pour a hazy, deep copper amber and open with smoked cola, burnt toast, and chicory coffee on the nose. The palate turns bittersweet rather than sharply bitter, with brown sugar and burnt molasses joined by cinnamon, nutmeg, and a dry, roasted coffee finish. The overall effect is dense and warming, built to add weight and dark spice to rum forward drinks or a rich Old Fashioned.