NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A Brooklyn bottler of bitters is sweet on Louisiana.

Bittermens Bitters owners Avery and Janet Glasser are relocating to suburban Jefferson Parish and plan to open their new plant in February, after Mardi Gras, New Orleans CityBusiness reports (http://bit.ly/WQaddq).

Their business making hand-made, small-batch bitters grew much faster than expected and they will need to double their current 5,500 bottles a month by midyear, Avery Glasser said.

New York real estate was just too expensive, he said.

"For less than what we are paying in New York on a three-year lease, they were able to build in all the retrofitting we needed," Glasser said of the new space in Elmwood.

Glasser says Bittermens ships to locations including Europe, Singapore and New Zealand, as well as to 37 U.S. states.

Bittermens Inc.'s flavors of bitters include Hopped Grapefruit, Xocolatle (shoh-koh-LAH-tl) Mole (MOH-lay) and Boston Bittahs, according to its website. It also makes extracts, liqueurs and other products such as Orange Cream Citrate, Hellfire Habanero Shrub, Taza Chocolate Extract and Commonwealth Tonic Cordial.

Both its regional bitters and its liqueurs include a product based on New Orleans-style coffee with chicory.

The New Orleans area was also ideal because of its port. Bittermens ships to Europe, Singapore and New Zealand, among other locations, as well as 37 U.S. states, Glasser said.

Beyond international exporting, Glasser said the area is home to an existing network of customers.

"The historical connection to the cocktail world made it a pretty obvious choice," Glasser said.

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Online: http://bittermens.com/

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Information from: New Orleans CityBusiness, http://www.neworleanscitybusiness.com