Photos by Taylor English Photography
Small Batch Bitters, Herbalist Style
The Bitter Bottle
Kaleena Goldsworthy-Warnock
A newbie to Chattanooga from New York in 2013, Kaleena Goldsworthy-Warnock had worked as a manager and bartender at The Flying Squirrel for five and a half years when books on historic cocktail culture captured her attention. “Back then, people would turn to bartenders because they had found a way to preserve the medicinal and nutritional qualities of botanicals and alcohol, and they were serving them as drinks to people,” Goldsworthy-Warnock explains. “That to me was the coolest thing. I never had looked at alcohol that way.”
Goldsworthy-Warnock’s interest led her to herbalism, a medicinal practice based on the use of plant and plant extracts. She quickly became enamored by the concept and began making her own bitters, which are potent flavoring agents made by infusing alcohol with aromatic herbs, fruits, and more. When added to a cocktail, bitters accentuate other flavors and add complexity.
How It’s Disrupting the Industry:
Because bitters are made using alcohol, state law restricted their distribution, thus creating a roadblock for Goldsworthy-Warnock. But in 2017, she was able to offer input on a bill reform that better regulated bitters and allowed her to move forward with her company. Today, she is working to have her products identified as non-beverage, which would make The Bitter Bottle the first alcohol-based bitters company in the state.
2019 in Review:
The Bitter Bottle quietly released its first round of products at MAINx24 in December 2019. Her first three products – Roasted Dandelion Root Bitters, Chocolate Cherry Bark Bitters, and Elderberry & Echinacea Elixir – are made from organic or wild harvest botanicals. Before the end of the year, The Bitter Bottle products had been used at Wildflower Tea Shop, The Flying Squirrel, and Whiskey Thief. “Bartenders love things that are strange and unique and weird. Everyone wants to be the first person to work with a different ingredient, which is why our bitters are different from even craft bitters companies,” Goldsworthy-Warnock says. “We’re trying to do things that are exciting and strange, but they are crafted using the techniques of modern herbalism.”
Outlook for 2020:
The Bitter Bottle will release three new bitters in March, continue partnerships with local distilleries, and begin sourcing herbs from local farmers as well. It’s making those relational connections in the food and beverage industry that will drive The Bitter Bottle into the future.