Sun Drinks Gift Guide: Get bitter

Erin Elizabeth Hines, aka the Bitter Girl, has been making bitters in her own backyard since 2013.

A former bartender, Hines began crafting her own bitters using ingredients from her family’s garden in Petaluma.

Bitters are a classic tool in making cocktails – herb infused alcohol with bittersweet flavors that are used in legendary cocktails such as the Sazerac and have been used as ailments for stomach aches in 18th-century Venezuela.

What makes Bitter Girl bitters so special is that they are hand-crafted, small batch, use organic sustainable ingredients – and are made by a woman. The flavors have a feminine touch, using rose petals, cherry bark, pears and other delicate ingredients.

Mom’s Prickly Pom, uses prickly pears and pomegranates homegrown and picked by Hines’ mother ($25). For the holiday, Hines created a limited edition special release made of rose petals, lilac, pine needles and spices ($25). A must have for any mixologist in your life. bittergirlbitters.com.

Explore other gift ideas for the foodie and drink lover in your life in our 2015 Gift Guide.