Bitter drink is a makeshift healing consumable item in Fallout: New Vegas.
Characteristics
Originating from Twin Mothers,[1] bitter drink is a useful healing drink primarily carried by Legionaries and is regularly consumed by wounded soldiers on the Legion's long forced marches. The recipe (and some of its history) is given to the Courier at the end of Lonesome Road by Ulysses if he lives and can be found in the loot crate at the Canyon wreckage if he is dead.
Bitter drink can be crafted at a campfire with a Survival skill of 15 and having received the recipe. It requires 1 broc flower, 1 xander root and 1 empty Sunset Sarsaparilla bottle. It is roughly twice as strong as healing powder, but does not carry the usual side-effects that come from the use thereof - making it a highly effective means for replenishing health outside of combat; assuming equal levels of Survival and Medicine skill, bitter drinks heal over twice as many hit points as stimpaks.
Only a few healing items actually recover more HP over time, and all of those are items that are crafted or are otherwise uncommon sights, making bitter drink somewhat unique. Bitter drink counts as a chem, rather than a drink.
Bitter drinks are good for when fighting poisonous creatures and lack antivenom. The HP regeneration from a bitter drink can offset a poison effect's ongoing damage, ergo increasing chances of survival and freeing up resources for that critical emergency healing only stimpaks can provide.
Survival Skill effect
| Skill | Effect |
|---|---|
| 10 | +4 Hit Point for 18s |
| 20 | +5 Hit Point for 18s |
| 30 | +6 Hit Point for 18s |
| 40 | +7 Hit Point for 18s |
| 50 | +8 Hit Point for 18s |
| 60 | +8 Hit Point for 18s |
| 70 | +9 Hit Point for 18s |
| 80 | +10 Hit Point for 18s |
| 90 | +11 Hit Point for 18s |
| 100 | +12 Hit Point for 18s |
Crafting
This item can be crafted by the Courier.
Creation requirements
| Materials: | Requirements: | Produces: | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
broc flower (1) xander root (1) |  | Survival: 15 Completion of Lonesome Road |  | Bitter drink (1) |
Locations
- These can be found on Legionary assassins and Recruit Legionaries.
- Ulysses will teach the Courier their history, and give them a few if left alive. He will also leave a few in the footlocker after Lonesome Road.
- Sometimes sold by Traveling merchants.
Notes
- When using bitter drinks it can register as taking a stimpak, thus this item can help towards the challenge and achievement/trophy Stim-ply Amazing.
- The hot-key icon for bitter drink of is the same one used for chems, rather than the one used for drinks or food. This may be an oversight, as bitter drinks are not treated as a chem, e.g. it is not prohibited by the Legion.
- A recent patch had lowered the healing effect of the bitter drink, as with a 100 Survival skill it will only heal 6(18s).
- Even though it uses an empty Sunset Sarsaparilla bottle to craft it, the world model and Pip-Boy icon of the item is a clay jug with decorative paint around the bottom.