Same here, for sure. I meant specifically when I search with the terms “from scratch” and get those results. Those recipe writers put the terms in their own recipes, that’s the part that bugs me. I came up with a name for them last night: ruse-cipes. 
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Well, clearly “from scratch” means any mug of chai that you didn’t buy at a Starbucks, don’t you know? 
I share your frustration…
Perfect!
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Update on my infusions. I took some small samples this weekend.
The pure gentian is bitter AF! I now better understand why gentian is a main ingredient in most “bitters” recipes. Also, funny because the dried roots are almost white, they turned the liquor red. I will play with mixing in some citrus and sugar to get a proper “bitters” worthy of a cocktail.
The pepper one is pretty straightforward.
The Chai, though! I went a little overboard on the cardamom, but otherwise, amazing. In fact, yesterday I brewed up a super strong batch of black tea with honey and iced it overnight. Now I’m enjoying a mix of that, the chai infusion, and milk (which didn’t curdle). Shook it all up with some ice cubes in a mason jar and, yum.
Yes, it’s before 5 pm on a Thursday. So what?
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Having played with it once or twice when I was still in bartending. The best way to make bitters is to infuse single ingredients into different batches of hooch. And then blend things up to recipe after.
It lets you make multiple types for the effort, and tweak things more easily.
So you have a really good starting point. Gentian ends up in a lot of different bitter recipes to up the bitterness.
You’ll also tend to want to dilute everclear based infusions before using. Bitters are usually only 35-50% ABV. Over proof vodka is the usual go to for a neutral base. But any liquor around 50% abv/100 proof can be used.
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That’s my plan for bitters. Other than citrus, any other tips, in terms of mixing infusions?
For a sense of what I’m going for, I’ve tried black walnut and some other local craft blends, but my favorite store-bought variety is still Angostura.
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That’s because mici, cevapcici, keftedes, köfte, kofta are all part of the same continuum. Any “regional” dish exists on a gradient.
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After you’ve got a few infusions on hand. Go small. It takes forever to work your way through a batch of bitters, and small batches are easier to correct by mixing in more of what works.
Fresh fruits, veg, whatever tend to make for crud in you’re bitters. And they shorten the shelf life. Part of why higher ABV is good.
It’s better to stick with dried ingredients where they exist. Filter the stuff through cheese close or a home brew grain bag (which is basically reusable cheese cloth) after it’s done steeping.
Don’t be afraid to use sugar, especially if you’ve got fresh produce involved it helps preserves things. If you’re using whole fruit you might better think in terms of making a liqueur, than an “infusion”.
Angostura is also flavored with (among other things) all spice, nutmeg, and cardamom. Peychaud’s, the other traditional gentian bitters, has less Gentian. More licorice or anise, citrus peel, and something minty.
Bergamot peel or other bitter orange peel, is a very traditional in all sorts of alcohol making.
Other dried citrus peel.
Coriander seed, often times that’s a lot of the cutrusy flavor you find in gin.
Birch bark is fun, weirdly minty too.
You can look at other traditional roots and barks too. Sassafras, cinchona bark that sort of thing.
Wormwood is apparently in a bunch of them.
Jamaica/hibiscus.
i like rose hips.
Coco nibs are big.
Tamarind is nice to get a bunch of tartness in there. But it needs filtering.
Any given dried berry.
Dried whole ginger.
Most herbs work well, but they can often get blown out pretty easy. That means they can also be used to soften something else.
Even stuff you wouldn’t think of. Like parsley makes an awesome base.
Practically any spice.
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For a bitter, astringent ingredient, do you happen to have any mountain ash (also called rowan) trees growing near you? I’ve infused the fruits in alcohol. Very astringent! Supposedly less astringent if picked after a frost. Of course, you can’t pick any right now, and would have to wait ‘til Fall for it— something to look forward to
(Ryuthrowsstuff says he likes rose hips; FWIW mountain ash/rowan is in the rose family. People call the fruits “berries”, but they are pomes.)
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If we’re talking weird regionals. Beach Plum. Excellent in place of Sloe.
Japanese Rose is invasive where I grew up, crowded the Beach Plum out. So so rose hips were easy to come by.
SPEAKING OF WEIRD ROOTS.
Dandelion and Burdock, I’ve run into bitters inspired by this stuff more than once.
Fentiman’s makes a good one.
They also make a Victorian style lemonade. So fairly tart with lemonade flavored with herbs. Apparently something called speedwell and some Juniper as well.
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Yes, a Russian ( the good kind ) friend of mine gave me mountain ash berry infused Vodka.
Very nice flavor indeed.
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I like this. Thank you.
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I can’t hear a mention of the Rowan tree without thinking of Billy Connolly and how the people of western Scotland feel about them.
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Rowan trees.
and her hair shone red, as the berries of the Rowan 
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Saw this today:
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I think I know why.
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That’s such an amazing story - I think I’d assumed it must have been a sauce from a more distant time. What a brave woman and a tragic end.
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That one ( secret?) ingredient you add?
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