Meet Bill and Lillian Buitenhuys of AZ Bitters Lab in Chandler

Today we’d like to introduce you to Bill and Lillian Buitenhuys.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Bill and Lillian. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
We love to pair wine and food. There is something special when you can find the right set of flavors and textures to compliment. When we moved to Phoenix (or moved back to Phoenix in Lill’s case) from Boston, we found that restaurant wine lists were much more California or West Coast-centric whereas the New England lists were more Euro. So, while sitting at a bar, we would ask the bartender to make cocktails for us to go with our food. We were blown away with the creativity of the Arizona bartenders that would mix up just the right drink, often including a dash of a specific bitters or infusion to make it just so.

One night driving home some seven years ago, Lill suggested that maybe we experiment at home with our own bitters. So we scoured the internet for ideas (this was before Parson’s seminal book) and ordered all the bitter roots and herbs we could find. We set up a Facebook page to document our home experiments, tasted all of the roots and botanicals, made a bunch of tinctures, did some blending, made more complex recipes, and finally got to results that we really liked…and we were having a great time doing it together. We brought samples to the same bartenders that had helped to light the fire in us, and next thing you know, they asked to purchase for use at their bar.

That was back in 2011. By 2012 we established a business and started production with our first two flavors, Figgy Pudding and Más Mole bitters. In 2013 we added Orange Sunshine bitters and Mi Casa bitters were ready for market in 2014.

We are now found behind the bar in over 400 bars/restaurants in Arizona, distributed throughout AZ by Young’s Market Company, used in bars throughout the US and overseas, and sold in retail shops/online shops in the US, Australia, and New Zealand.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
We were the first (and still, as of this writing, only) producer of commercial bitters in Arizona and as trailblazers it was pretty rough going, particularly with the state Department of Environmental Services. Our bitters are 35-45% alcohol but are all registered with the Tax and Trade Bureau as a food product (non-potable alcohol). The state regulators had never encountered a product made in-state that had so much alcohol in it yet wouldn’t be monitored by the Liquor Board. After months and months of back and forth through many meetings, emails, and phone conversations, we got licensing to proceed with production. Once our products hit the street, we were first embraced locally, then throughout the state, and now throughout the U.S.

AZ Bitters Lab – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
What we do is make flavor-forward cocktail bitters. Our bitters are really food-centric. Figgy Pudding is based on the British dessert recipe that we found in a playbook when we went to see the play, A Christmas Carol. Más Mole is based on a traditional Mexican mole recipe. Orange Sunshine is based on an Italian fennel/orange salad. Mi Casa is very apothecary on the back end including myrrh, galangal, and aloe with trade route spices of pimento, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg in the foreground. We love food! And we love drinks! Because they are flavor-forward, our bitters also resonate with chefs and chef/owners that have found that these flavor profiles make our bitters a fun component to desserts and savory dishes as well. Figgy in your coffee or as a vanilla extract substitute in whipped cream is pretty delicious. Orange Sunshine pairs super well in caramel sauces. Mi Casa and pineapple are good friends. And Más Mole dashed on popcorn is rather splendid. All of our bitters are rounded off with natural sweetness of currants, local orange blossom honey, or agave nectar.

There are a couple of things that we are very proud of that also help set us apart. First we are a family business. All product is conceived, made, tested, bottled, and packaged by the two of us along with Lill’s Mom, Linda. Next, every single batch we make goes through a very thorough quality control process and will not get released until it passes the process. It is important that we provide a product to our customers that they can be assured will produce the same result every time it’s used. And finally, and most importantly, it is a key charter for us to give back. We’ve partnered with United Food Bank and Feed My Starving Children from the start of our business and ensure that we give to them as they take care of those in need throughout our community.

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
Our first restaurant/bar customer was Pig & Pickle in Scottsdale. To get a call from Clayton, one of the owners, prior to them opening, to say they wanted to use our product on their menu, was a surprise, blessing, and joy beyond belief! That will be six years ago next October and we are humbled that our products have been on every one of their cocktail menus from Day 1.

We are continually humbled as we see so many people that we admire and others that we don’t even know add cocktails to their list that include our products. We know how important and personal a cocktail list can be to a bar manager or owner. It hits our heart every…single…time.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://azbitterslab.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/azbitterslab/
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/AZBittersLab

Image Credit:
Personal photo courtesy of Jey Moore. All other photos courtesy AZ Bitters Lab.

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