When Ryan Roberge started bartending at age 20 he couldn’t officially drink his own craft cocktails. Thirteen years later, the bar manager and head bartender at 315 Martinis and Tapas is leading Coeur d’Alene’s craft cocktail revolution with his own bitters business,

Coeur d’ Alene Beverage.

“The great thing about being in a craft cocktail movement is that there are a lot more bitters available, and you can find one to bring out the flavors in every drink. There really is a bitters out there for every drink,” said Roberge.

Bitters are a liquid that usually consists of aromatic herbs, fruits, spices, and roots that are distilled in a liquor. They are used to increase the flavor and aroma of many popular cocktails.

Roberge makes his own flavored syrups and likes to muddle fresh ingredients, but he said the trick is keeping the flavors subtle.

“Bitters are like the salt and pepper of bartending. You need a little bit in there to accentuate the flavors, but you don’t want to over do it,” said Roberge.

Roberge currently produces four types of bitters: lavender, ginger, the crux spicy celery, and the flagship No. 17.

He said the bar industry has been moving toward using local ingredients and liquors. With new micro-distilleries popping up, bars are able to use more local liquors rather than importing traditionally foreign liquors.

“The basic formulas of old drinks have stayed the same,” he said. “They’ve stood the test of time for more than 100 years. What has changed is the brands of liquors we use.”

It’s not just about the bitters for Roberge. Together with business partner Michael Irby, he created a drink using molecular mixology that won them the People’s Choice Award, and the Judge’s Choice Award at the 2015 Bartender Mix-Off at the Coeur d’Alene Casino.

The drink, called the Pythagorean Serum, used spherification and reverse spherification techniques to shape a liquid into a solid sphere. When the judges placed the spheres in their mouths, the spheres turned back into a cocktail.

“I’m trying to bring new fun stuff to the area, and bring in more cutting-edge drinks and techniques,” said Roberge.

For the amateur craft mixologists, Roberge has a few tips for perfecting a delicious recipe.

“Creating a good balance is very important in making a flavorful drink,” he said. “It takes time to find the correct balance in a recipe.”

It’s also important to understand the type of drink you’re trying to make, which can determine the best way to use a selected alcohol for a desired flavor.

“For a Manhattan, the whiskey is supposed to be the star of the drink. You want to find the right balance where you can still taste the flavors, but where the whiskey is featured,” Roberge said. “Then you have a drink like a whiskey sour where it’s an even mix, and the whiskey takes more of a background role.”

But there isn’t necessarily a right or wrong way to experiment with flavors, he said.

“I used to believe that there was a very specific way that drinks needed to be consumed, but now I think people should just drink whatever they want whether it’s sweet, sour, bitter or whatever,” Roberge said. “Just drink whatever makes you happy.”

To purchase Coeur d’Alene Beverage bitters, visit the Coeur d’Alene Beverage Facebook page or stop in at 315 E. Wallace Ave., Coeur d’Alene.