Since its beginnings in 2009, Bittercube, an artisanal bitters company, has grown far beyond what founders Nicholas Kosevich and Ira Koplowitz imagined.
The two-man operation expanded its Milwaukee-based operation in early 2015, opening its own apothecary space at 2018 S. 1st St., where a collection of handcrafted bitters is produced.
The staff has more than quadrupled, and they’ve trained more than 350 bartenders. They’ve amassed 13 consulting clients in the U.S. and Costa Rica. And within the next few months, they’ll launch a new product line that has expanded to include elixirs and syrups.
“It’s been some amazing growth,” Kosevich says. “It’s been a really exciting time.”
For the uninitiated, bitters is a highly concentrated liquor flavored with herbs and spices. Perhaps most famous is Angostura bitters, a key ingredient in one of Wisconsin’s favorite cocktails, the old fashioned.
Bittercube started by making six varieties and now has eight available year-round that span an array of flavors, from a sweet and aromatic cherry bark vanilla bitters to a spicy Jamaican bitters, flavored with ginger, black pepper and allspice. “It’s like a spice rack for your cocktail,” Kosevich says.
When the company first launched, the founders assumed they would be making bitters to supply high-end establishments. But as customers became more educated about cocktail culture and interested in making drinks at home, the market for unique ingredients, like artisanal bitters, expanded. Now, Bittercube’s customers have incorporated the product beyond the bar, using bitters to flavor vinaigrettes, baked goods, sodas and ice cream.
“We’ve seen so much creativity out there,” Kosevich says.
And as amateur mixologists continue to seek new and interesting products to stock in their home bars, Bittercube is branching out into nonalcoholic drink additives that provide the complex flavors of craft cocktails without all the hassle of getting out a bunch of bar tools. “We’re listening to the customer, and it’s very clear that they want more from us,” Kosevich says. “We’re adding more to the cocktail arsenal.”
Sometime before Christmas Bittercube will launch the next iteration in its product line — elixirs and syrups.
Bittercube’s elixirs are cocktail ingredients that combine a sugar and a citrus element that can be added to a spirit in one step. They’re starting with three or four flavors, Kosevich says, including cinnamon and vanilla (great with whiskey), strawberry and lavender (makes amazing gimlets), and “blood and sand” (notes of vermouth and citrus, and pairs well with scotch).
The syrups are similar, but without the citrus. Flavors will include pineapple vanilla, green tea honey and old fashioned.
With the rise of the cocktail renaissance, there’s been an influx of microdistilleries and even other artisanal bitters companies. But after six years in business, Kosevich says Bittercube stands out because of its reputation: “I feel like our name represents quality and trust in the beverage world.”