Depending on the brand of aromatic bitters you use at home, you may not need to buy additional equipment. Angostura Bitters come in a paper-wrapped bottle with a dasher top that’s hard to use with precision. You may see mixologists in cocktail bars using eye droppers to place drops of bitters precisely on the top of a drink. Eye droppers let you control both placement and amount. 

If you don’t have an eyedropper yet, use a cocktail straw to pick up bitters from the bottle and drop them on the top of a drink. Put one end of the straw into the bitters and place your thumb over the opposite end. The straw will hold the bitters inside until you release the pressure from your thumb. It’s less precise than an eyedropper, but it’ll work in a pinch. 

You’ll need a delicate tool to drag the foam through the drops of bitters. A broad toothpick, the end of a cocktail straw, or a cocktail pick all work great. Don’t use the end of the eyedropper, as it’ll contaminate the bitters with egg. 

You might also want an atomizer to create a bitters spray. Pair it with a stencil to create elaborate decorations.

You create decorations on the top of egg white cocktails in two steps. First, apply drops of bitters to the top of the foam. Then drag foam through the bitters to create patterns. Here are a few standard designs:

• Hearts: near the side of the glass, make a line of four dots in decreasing size. Place the point of your cocktail pick on the edge of the largest dot and drag it through the center of all four dots to create a line of hearts. 
• Compass Rose: make a ‘+’ sign with two lines of 5 dots, intersecting in the middle dot. Place your tool in the middle dot and drag it lightly from the center to the edge of the glass through two dots. Repeat three more times to create the compass.
• Feathers: make a circle of 8 fat dots in the center of the glass. First, use your cocktail pick from the center of each dot out toward the edge of the glass. Then, move it through the center of all the dots, connecting them.

You can use a store-bought stencil to the same effect, but how cool is it to create your own?

1. Find an image you like; the simpler, the better.
2. Tape it to a piece of clear plastic, like a takeout food lid, or yogurt container lid. 
3. Trace the basic shapes of the image. 
4. Cut out the stencil using a craft knife. 
5. Wash the stencil with soap and water. 

Next, load an atomizer with bitters. Hold the stencil as close to the surface of the drink as possible without touching the foam. Spritz the atomizer from four-inches away, transferring the image to the foam.

You can get creative with bitters without an egg white cocktail. Here are some of our favorites:

• Cocktail Ice: Fill a big ice cube tray halfway. Freeze, then add a layer of bitters. Freeze again. Fill to the top with icy water and freeze one more time. 
• Bitters Swirl: Aromatic bitters taste great with seltzer and tonic. Use the dasher or eyedropper to put three bitters dashes on the top of a drink in a collins glass. Use a straw to swirl the drink, and the bitters gently twist as they sink toward the bottom.
• Add Some Color: for cocktails that do not contain egg white, bitters can add some extra color on the ice. Used sparingly, bitters adds depth, complexity, and scent. Add a dash or two of bitters to the very top of a tiki cocktail so that the bitters float on top among the crushed ice for an added garnish. 

There are a ton of companies out there making new and exciting bitters. Check specialty spirits stores, or online to find your next favorite. But whether you’re just discovering bitters or have an expansive collection, every home bar should have Angostura and Peychauds close at hand.