E. Smith Mercantile, located in Seattle’s historic Pioneer Square neighborhood, opened in early 2013. The mercantile carries everything from sea salt and old-time candy, to artisanal olive oil and apparel. It’s a family-owned business run by the Poole family—Jessie runs the mercantile, while Sara runs the kitchen and bar. Their dad Rick built the bar and kitchen about six months after the mercantile opened, and helps keep everything running smoothly, while mom Kate leads wholesale development, including production of their house made bitters, which are for sale in the mercantile, and used in signature cocktails.
Kate Poole started experimenting with alcohol extracts in the 1980s. “A good friend of mine was a wildcrafter in Wyoming, she had a great small business wildcrafting wild plants and making medicinal plant medicines using alcohol as a method of extraction,” Poole says. “I loved her products and I learned a lot from her. When my kids were little, the only medicines they ever took were herbal extracts. ‘Bitters’ are simply herbs or other botanicals extracted with alcohol. The bitter herbs were originally used as digestive stimulants and liver and gallbladder tonics.”
The modern-day practice of making bitters dates back to 19th century Great Britain, and was popularized in the American colonies by the mid-1800s. They were referenced in print as “a stimulating liquor, composed of spirits of any kind, sugar, water and bitters.” The process for making bitters has remained largely the same over the last couple hundred years: combine herbs, roots, citrus peels and other flavoring agents in a large container. Cover with alcohol, seal and allow to sit in a dark place for at least two weeks, gently shaking the container each day. When the time is up, strain out the solids, filter through a fine sieve, add sweetener, if desired, and store in a dark bottle until ready to use.
At E. Smith Mercantile, which is named for Kate Poole’s grandfather Elmer Smith, they currently have five bitters in their lineup: lavender, cardamom, spicy chocolate, grapefruit and smoke. The latter lends the signature smokiness to one of the house cocktails. The Miner’s Campfire blends scotch, tequila, grapefruit juice and honey syrup for a tart, refreshing cocktail who’s smokiness is accentuated by several drops of the smoke bitters floated on the top of the drink.
The bitters are available for purchase in the shop, or customers can join Kate and Jessie Poole for one of their upcoming cocktail classes to learn how to make their own. Three-part cocktail-themed classes include cocktail basics, creating infusions and signature drinks, and everything bitters. Other DIY classes, like how to make cheese, and pickling will available shortly. Keep an eye on their events page for more details and new classes.
Miner’s Campfire by E. Smith Mercantile
Alder smoke salt
1 ½ ounces scotch
1 ½ ounces blanco tequila
1 ounce grapefruit juice
½ ounce honey syrup
10 drops smoke bitters
Edge a quarter of an old-fashioned glass rim with the smoke salt, fill with ice. Combine scotch, tequila, grapefruit juice, and honey syrup in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake and strain into the prepared glass. Top with smoke bitters.
