Toronto-Made Balsam Fir Bitters Bring a Canadian Botanical to Cocktails
A Toronto cocktail creator has turned the scent of balsam fir into a new bar ingredient. Brenton Mowforth, the person behind CheersToHappyHour, developed Balsam Fir Bitters with Nickel 9 Distillery, building the recipe around the evergreen’s resinous aroma and a supporting mix of juniper, clove, cardamom and cinnamon.
The bitters are listed at $17.95 for a 100 mL bottle, with an alcohol content of 55% ABV. Cocktail Emporium’s product listing identifies the bottle as made in Toronto and describes a profile that is earthy, aromatic and warming, with a lighter citrus edge.
The recipe started with a Christmas tree
According to the supplied press materials, the idea began after Mowforth and his wife bought a real Christmas tree during the holiday season before their daughter was born. Rather than discard the tree, he clipped a few balsam fir branches and steeped them with juniper, clove, cardamom and cinnamon in a high-proof neutral spirit.
That home experiment sat for several months. Mowforth later shared small bottles with Toronto bartenders, whose response encouraged him to take the recipe back to Nickel 9 and develop it as a retail product.
Mowforth is already connected to the city’s cocktail community. Hungry 416 previously included him in its coverage of the Pouring Forward bartender fundraiser, where he appeared in a lineup of Canadian bar talent.
Balsam fir leads the flavour profile
The evergreen is not a background accent here. Balsam fir supplies the core forest note, while juniper adds a familiar gin-like character and the clove, cardamom and cinnamon bring warmth.
The botanical also gives the product a clear regional connection. Natural Resources Canada identifies balsam fir (Abies balsamea) as a tree found in the northern forests of Central and Eastern Canada. Ontario’s tree guide also notes its long-standing use as a Christmas tree, thanks in part to its fragrance and ability to retain its needles.
How the bitters fit into cocktails
Press materials position the bitters as a year-round ingredient rather than a holiday-only bottle. The fir, juniper and baking-spice combination is intended to work with aged spirits, where it can sit beside oak and richer flavours. The producer also suggests using its fresher edge with citrus, pineapple, apple or pear in brighter drinks.
That range matters for a bottle built around a flavour many drinkers associate with December. In practice, the most useful test will be how bartenders handle the first note: as the defining aroma in a spirit-forward cocktail, or as a sharper botanical accent in a lighter serve.
Where to buy Balsam Fir Bitters in Toronto
Cocktail Emporium currently lists Balsam Fir Bitters online for $17.95. Its website names three Toronto shops: 20 Kensington Avenue, 972 Queen Street West and 65 Front Street West inside Union Station.
The supplied release also lists Nickel 9 Distillery as a purchase point. Its public site did not surface a matching product page during fact-checking, so shoppers should confirm stock before visiting the distillery at 90 Cawthra Avenue.
For Mowforth, the next step is broader distribution beyond Toronto and possible collaborations with bars and bartenders. No additional retail markets or launch dates were confirmed in the materials provided.
References and Related Reading
Cocktail Emporium — Nickel 9 Balsam Fir Bitters by CheersToHappyHour
