First, it was the bar and tabletops. Now, Canon bartender Jamie Boudreau's love of bitters has spread to the shaker.

The Seattle bar is the latest to cement the category of bitters-based drinks--that is, cocktails that use ounces instead of drops of the potent flavored brews, often in larger quantities than (or in replacement of) hard spirits.

While at Clover Club in Brooklyn in 2008, Giuseppe Gonzalez developed the Angostura-heavy Trinidad Sour; in 2009, bartenders at Cure in New Orleans created the Gunshop Fizz using a base of Peychaud's Bitters.

Canon features the Angostura Collins, a drink that's surprisingly friendly, even for bitters novices. "A lot of bitters-heavy drinks are for cocktail geeks; we wanted something more approachable," says Jamie Boudreau, co-owner of Canon.

Angostura Collins
Recipe adapted from Jamie Boudreau, Canon, Seattle
Makes one drink

Ice
1 ounce fresh lemon juice
1 ounce rich simple syrup (2:1)
1 ounce Angostura bitters
Chilled soda water
Strip of lemon peel

In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, combine the lemon juice and simple syrup. Shake until chilled, about 10 seconds. Strain into a Collins glass filled with fresh ice. Gently pour the bitters over the sour mixture to create a layered effect; top with soda. Garnish with the lemon peel. Serve with a straw.