Love is a many splendored thing, taking all sorts of forms in our lives. The love we feel for humanity is very different from passion for a special someone, which is different again from the nourishing fulfillment of self-love. The most potent love potion, then, should incorporate ingredients that correspond to all shades of the spectrum. This “Love Me Long Time” Bitters recipe does just that, making it more than the sum of its parts.
The History of Bitters
Bitters is mentioned in the first printed definition of the word “cocktail” – which stated that a cocktail was any drink consisting of spirits, water, sugar and bitters. The English had long been using bitters, but it was during American Colonial times that its popularity really skyrocketed.
However, it’s unclear when bitters went from being something you sipped on its own as a medicinal to a cocktail ingredient. In 1824, Johann Siegert, a doctor in Venezuela, began making Angostura as a stimulant to help the troops with malaria and keep them on their feet. At some point, these same bitters are thought to have been added to a poor-quality spirit to improve taste. Alternatively, people may have been applying alcohol to their bitters to help their medicine go down. Whatever the case, by the late 1800s, bitters were synonymous with cocktails.
Magickal Properties of “Love Me Tender” Bitters
The base of our bitters for love is brandy, traditionally made with grapes, which are associated with romance, fertility, and abundance magick. Of course, that means these bitters contain alcohol. It doesn’t mean using them will make your drink “alcoholic,” but we’ll talk more about that below.
On this site, you will find two kinds of bitters recipes – bitters for flavor and bitters for magick. All the bitters for magick recipes feature five ingredients, and that is by design. The number 5 symbolizes change. Though not always welcome, it is through change that we design the lives we want and embrace positive action. I don’t know about you, but I want to be in the driver’s seat of my life. The transformational energy of the number 5 can help with that.
In a spiritual sense, the number 5 has many close connections. We have five senses through which we experience life. Ether is considered the fifth element that fills the universe beyond the Earth’s sphere, where we find the four terrestrial elements of water, air, fire and, of course, earth. There are five points on a pentacle, which mimics the five points of the human body (head, two hands and two feet).
Above all, the number 5 serves as a symbol of individualism and self-belief, encouraging you to march to the beat of your own drum. I can’t think of a more fitting energy to draw upon to manifest your magick.
So, in addition to the grapes in the brandy, this bitters for love recipe includes four more love-, passion- and romance-drawing ingredients. Cacao, which has many powerful health benefits, heightens compassion and encourages a blissful sensuality. It opens the heart chakra, making space for deep connection with self and others. And, of course, chocolate has a long history of being presented during courtship to win a woman’s affection. When it comes to making bitters, cacao nibs are preferred to cacao powder (which makes the concoction cloudy) or cacao disks.
Next up is rose, another traditional courtship gift, associated not only with love, but also friendship, protection and intuition. If you grow your own roses, you can create a purpose for each rosebush you have – one for protection magick, one for love, one for creativity, and so on. To ensure your rose buds are food-safe (rather than drying store-bought roses that have been sprayed with pesticides), I recommend purchasing this chemical-free rose tea.
Our third ingredient is lavender, whose essential properties include peace, intuition and awareness, all components of a vital, nourishing romantic relationship. Lavender is also used in spells for self-love and healing, so it can help soothe old wounds and strengthen your sense of “I am enough”-ness.
The final ingredient, vanilla, was considered a sacred herb by the Aztecs and used in ritual offerings, as a perfume and for medicine. Vanilla is associated with personal empowerment, good luck and love rituals. To attract love and increase sexual desire, burn vanilla incense in your home.
Don’t Bitters Make a Mocktail Alcoholic?
It’s true, bitters are alcoholic, generally containing between 35-45% alcohol by volume. However, because bitters are typically used in such small amounts, they’re considered to be non-alcoholic when added to an otherwise non-alcoholic drink (much like vanilla extract in baking).
For folks in recovery, a few dashes of bitters won’t get you drunk, but one dash too many can put your drink over the 0.5% ABV threshold that characterizes “non-alcoholic” beverages. If you identify as sober or alcohol-free, and this falls outside your comfort level, I’m working on a non-alcoholic variation made with vegetable glycerin – coming very soon – so bookmark this page and check back often.
“Love Me Tender” Bitters
Equipment
- Bowl to hold the mason jar
Ingredients
- 1 tsp cacao nibs
- 1 tsp dried rose buds
- ⅓ vanilla bean, seeds scraped from the pod (add the pod too)*
- ½ tsp culinary lavender
- ½ cup brandy
Instructions
- Combine the cacao nibs, dried rose petals and lavender blossoms in a mortar and pestle (or a coffee grinder reserved for this purpose). Pulverize until the material is coarsely broken down, then add to a mason jar. Scrape the insides out of the vanilla bean and add to the jar along with the pod.
- Cover with brandy. Make sure the lid has a tight seal (look for lids with rubber gaskets), before shaking vigorously . . . but with tenderness. You want to put your energy into this potion, and yet you want that energy to be loving.
- Place your jar in a bowl and surround it with crystals that support the intention of drawing love into your life. Store in a cool, dark place for two weeks, shaking daily with that same loving energy.
- After 14 days, taste and decide if you're pleased with the potency. Strain out the aromatics and pour into a small amber-colored jar or these, if you're a fancy witch. Store out of direct sunlight, so the flavor retains its potency.
