McMann & Tate Cocktail Co. South Seas Bitters
McMann & Tate Cocktail Co. South Seas Bitters are a limited-release, tiki-style cocktail bitters from McMann & Tate Cocktail Co. of West Orange, New Jersey — a small-batch maker of all-natural bitters, garnishes and rim salts founded in 2020. Built for tropical drinks, the blend is dominated by clove and cardamom, layered with allspice, cinnamon and a full cast of botanicals — the brand's own ingredient list runs to alcohol, allspice, cinchona, cinnamon, cloves, lime and orange peel, cacao and cardamom. Bottled at 40% ABV (80 proof) in a 2oz dropper bottle, a few dashes bring warm island spice to rum, citrus and tropical fruit without overwhelming them. It is available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor.
- Proof / ABV: 80 proof (40% ABV)
- Size: 2oz (59mL) dropper bottle
- Key botanicals: Clove and cardamom, with allspice, cinnamon, cinchona, cacao, lime and orange peel
- Style: Tiki-style cocktail bitters, small batch, all natural
- Origin: McMann & Tate Cocktail Co., West Orange, New Jersey, USA
Tiki Spice, Bottled in New Jersey
McMann & Tate crafts its bitters in small batches with premium, all-natural ingredients — no artificial colors or flavors, so what you see in the bottle comes straight from the infusion. South Seas is the house's love letter to classic tiki culture: the bold flavors, colorful presentation and careful balance of fruit, spice and rum that define the style, concentrated into a dasher bottle. It sits naturally alongside the aromatic staples in our amaro and bitters collection and the wider mixers bench.
Tasting Notes
Clove leads — bold, slightly sweet spice with an earthy depth — while cardamom adds bright, citrus-like complexity and an exotic floral lift. Allspice brings its warm clove-nutmeg-cinnamon echo, cinnamon adds sweetness and depth, and cacao, citrus peel and cinchona round the blend into a layered, gently bitter finish.
How to Enjoy
Add two or three dashes to a Mai Tai, Zombie, Planter's Punch, rum punch or tropical daiquiri to bridge sweet fruit and rich spirit; the spice also flatters bourbon, rye, brandy and tequila, and a dash or two lifts mocktails and tropical sodas. Build the drink around our rum shelf and the rest of the cocktails collection.
Frequently Asked Questions
What do South Seas Bitters taste like?
Warm tiki spice: clove and cardamom up front, supported by allspice, cinnamon, cacao, lime and orange peel and a touch of cinchona bitterness — designed to complement rum, citrus, pineapple, passion fruit and coconut.
How much is in the bottle, and how strong is it?
A 2oz (59mL) dropper bottle at 40% ABV (80 proof). Bitters are used by the dash, so a small bottle seasons dozens of drinks.
Are they only for tiki drinks?
Tiki is their home turf, but the warm spice profile also works in whiskey, brandy and tequila cocktails, and in non-alcoholic tropical drinks and sodas.
Stock the tiki shelf at Del Mesa Liquor in San Diego, CA — one dash transports you to the tropics, two dashes build the island escape.