Botanical Bitters

Date: Sun, Aug 30, 2026

Time: 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM

Venue: Duke Gardens–Pelham-Cullen Classroom in the Barnes Welcome Center, Durham

Price: $44

Category: Outdoors

In our modern era, classic bitters such as Angostura are often splashed into a cocktail. These bitters have their roots in European culinary traditions of aperitifs or digestifs (think Cynar, Campari), which all contain secret blends of botanicals that were historically used as plant-based medicine. In this interactive workshop, clinical herbalist Kelly Owensby of West of the Moon will explore how bitter botanicals have changed history, influenced our bodies’ co-evolution with bitter botanicals and had a significant impact on our overall health. Participants will experiment with tasting and formulating with 30 different herbal flavor profiles, including several N.C. native plants. Learn about the health impact and medicinal properties of different herbs, and take home a custom-crafted herbal bitters tincture to splash into bubbly water as a seasonal survival strategy. Fee: $44; 20% discount for Duke Gardens members with discount code. Parking: Parking fees apply. Location: Pelham-Cullen classroom inside the Barnes Welcome Center. Accessibility: This program takes place seated in an indoor location accessible via paved surfaces and equipped with a hearing loop, which transmits sound directly to hearing aids and cochlear implants with a T-coil setting. Accessible restrooms are available onsite.