Orange Bitters
Note Profile
About
A high-proof tincture of dried orange peel, gentian root and baking spice, sold to season cocktails by the dash. As a note it stands for the smell of the bottle, not the fruit. Sharp peel zest sits on a dry bittering root, with cinnamon and clove warmth behind it.
Scent Profile
Orange bitters smells of the bottle rather than the fruit, dry and rindy orange peel citrus rather than sweet juice. A warm cinnamon-and-clove spice sits behind it. A bitter, herbal root note runs through the middle, close to gentian. High-proof alcohol carries the whole thing, sharp and boozy before anything else comes through.
ScentWheel
Read off the wheel, not a label applied to the note.
ScentArt
Origin
Prepared. Dried peel of bitter or sweet orange is macerated in high-proof alcohol with gentian root. Fee Brothers, Regans' and Angostura each sell an orange version. No perfumery supplier publishes an olfactive sheet for it.
Usage in Perfumery
Rare as a named note. Measured 2026-08-30: 0 Fragrantica placements, 2 Parfumo placements across 2 brands. It is used where a plain citrus would read too sweet, in boozy and cocktail-themed openings.
Similar Notes
Perfumes featuring Orange Bitters
A selection of reviewed perfumes where Orange Bitters appears prominently.
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