"AngosturaBitters" news and stories

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.

Source

David Wondrich, the drinks guy at Esquire, wrote one of the best cocktails books in the past quarter century, Esquire Drinks, and he says that if you want a proper Manhattan, you have to skip the cherries and add more Vermouth. After the jump, his recipe.

My first Happy Hour cocktail  mentioned the use of  Angostura  Bitters; which got me thinking - just what  are Angostura Bitters?

The origins of bitters lie in the elixirs taken as restoratives and remedies for all types of ailments such as poor digestion and joint pain. Apothercaries concocted them using herbal medicine concepts utilising bark, roots, herbs and fruit to enhance the healing powers of their drinks.

Bitters are made all over the world but Angostura is perhaps the most famous (others are Campari and Fernet-Branca).  It was invented in the 19th century by a German medic who was the personal doctor to South American revolutionary hero Simón Bolívar. Today it is made in Trinidad but is named after a town in Venezuela. At its base is an infusion of gentian roots with herbs in rum.

As well as numerous cocktails Angostura can be used in cooking. The website says that "It imparts an exquisite flavour to soups, salads, vegetables, gravies, fish, meat, fruit juices, grapefruit, mixed cut fruits, stewed prunes, stewed figs, preserved fruits, jellies, sherbets, water ices, ice cream, sauces for puddings, hard sauces, plum puddings, mince and fruit pies, apple sauce and all similar desserts."  Which  just about covers everything!