Bitters are a very popular food and drink ingredient. They come in many different flavors and brands and can be found at nearly any grocery store or bodega.
Can you buy bitters at the grocery store?
Yes, many groceries stores carry a wide variety of different types of bitters.
Although they may not all be located together as far as shelf space goes, most grocery stores usually have them near the essential oils aisle, because those oils are often used to make bitters.
If you cannot find one bitter on your first try at your local grocer, simply ask someone who works there for help finding it- they should know where to locate it if they sell it!
Does BC Liquor sell bitters?
No. While BC Liquor is a good place to go if you want to get something else in bulk, such as wine or hard liquor, they do not carry bitters.
Bitters are categorized as an alcoholic beverage in the eyes of the law and therefore cannot be sold at grocery stores.
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What is a substitute for bitters?
If you like recipe ideas that use bitters, leave this section empty!
If you’re looking for substitutes because you don’t think it’s fair that only adults 21 years of age can buy them; there really isn’t anything that tastes exactly like bitters and has a similar purpose (that we know of).
However, BC Bitters (bitters from Canada) taste pretty close to Angostura Aromatic bitters and could serve as a good replacement in most recipes.
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Why do you have to be 21 to buy bitters?
According to BC Liquor, “It is illegal for any person under the age of 19 years (the legal age for purchase of alcoholic beverages) to enter a liquor store.”
This applies equally to bars and grocery stores- since they’re considered the same as liquor stores.
Although there are no specific laws about how old you need to be in order to buy bitters, we can assume it’s because it’s an alcoholic beverage and people under 19 can’t buy it.
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Can you get drunk on bitters?
No, drinking Angostura Aromatic Bitters will not get you drunk at all.
While yes, it contains 40% alcohol by volume (80 proof), it isn’t very much alcohol, considering it’s 44% water by volume.
In other words, bitters are mostly alcohol and water- which means the actual amount of alcohol you’ll get from drinking a bottle at one time is minimal.
Even if you drank the entire bottle, no matter how many shots of bitters that would be, your blood alcohol level will not even come close to getting you drunk.
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How much do bitters cost?
The price for bitters varies depending on where you buy them and what kind you’re looking for.
For example, BC Bitters costs approximately $5 a bottle while Angostura Aromatic Bitters tends to cost around $10 – $13 dollars per 5 oz (150 ml) bottle.
Conclusion:
As you can see, it’s easy to find bitters at the grocery store – just ask someone where they’re located!
Just don’t get caught trying to buy them if you’re under 19 years of age.
And, while yes, they’ll get you drunk if you drink enough of them, that amount would be so high no normal person could survive it.
So we wouldn’t recommend doing so anyway- since drinking too much alcohol at once is dangerous and not healthy for your body!
It’s fun and exciting to use bitters in cooking and baking- especially when making cocktails and mixed drinks. Have trouble finding a recipe that uses bitters?
