No bar can be complete without them (heck, for my money, no bartender can be complete without them). Every bar has at least one bottle stashed somewhere, and more and more, the hallmark of great bars and bartenders proudly displays at least a half-dozen, not including ones they've made themselves. Each variety lends a complexity impossible to find anywhere else and almost always elevate each cocktail into something special.

So what, exactly, are bitters, and why are they so important? Well, first, there are two kinds, potable and nonpotable. Potable bitters generally double as digestifs, something you drink after dinner. Fernet-Branca and Campari are two famous examples of potable bitters. The ones we're talking about here are nonpotable (which means they're not meant to be consumed on their own). Bitters are, in general, made from a witches-brew combination of herbs and citrus blended with alcohol, and were intended as remedies for all sorts of ailments, particularly those involving the stomach. Why are they important? A friend of mine and master bartender, Jamie Boudreau, likens bitters to how a chef utilizes salt, as essential an ingredient as there is in any kitchen. Each type of bitters available lends it's own unique characteristics to a cocktail.

For the sake of introduction of these products, we're going to limit the flavor wheel to the three most common.


Angostura Bitters
In 1820, Dr. Johann Gottlieb Benjamin Siegert left Germany for Venezuela to help General Simon Bolivar liberate his country from the Spaniards. Bolivar eventually named him Surgeon-General of the military hospital in Angostura. Bolivar went on to also liberate Ecuador, Peru and Colombia, while Dr. Siegert stayed behind to further his research on the local botanicals. By 1824, he had developed a tonic he named amargo aromatico (aromatic bitters) utilizing native herbs and plants for the cure of fever and stomach illnesses. Shortly thereafter, Dr. Siegert's bitters became standard stock on trading ships where they were implemented to cure seasickness, among several other ailmennts. Now known internationally as Angostura bitters, it has moved from ship's provisions to bar staple, and we are all the better for it.

A drop or two of Angostura bitters has a transformative effect on cocktails. Manhattans aren't the same without it and the Old-Fashioned is unthinkable without a dash. Even teetotalers can benefit from the bitters as it's history as a cure-all still soothes the aching stomachs of bar patrons to this today (in the form of bitters-soaked lemons or limes).

Peychaud Bitters
Antoine Peychaud developed these bitters in New Orleans, Louisiana, from a recipe his father had brought while fleeing Haiti. After opening an apothecary shop in the French Quarter, Peychaud began making a brandy cocktail mixed with his bitters sometime around 1830, which later evolved into the Sazerac cocktail, widely considered to be the first cocktail. It has, of course, become a vital component in many famous New Orleans drinks, though it does pop up in other recipes to lend it's own nuances in cocktails which Angostura can't.

Orange Bitters
Scan through old cocktail manuals and you'll notice that orange bitters pop up much more often than they do now. Even the venerable Martini commonly called for a jolt of orange bitters to enliven it, though that practice died off years ago. Along with Angostura and Peychaud, I don't consider any bar to be complete without orange bitters. Chances are, you'll have a harder time finding them than Angostura or Peychaud. Fee's Brothers and Regans No. 6 are my favorites.

As mentioned earlier, bartenders with a DIY spirit have begun making their own, often with great success. Flavored bitters such as grapefruit, peach, cherry, chocolate and even hot peppers have begun popping up behind the best bars. If you've got the DIY spirit yourself, I'd suggest clicking here for a great list of recipes for the industrious home bartender.