Angostura bitters is a concentrated alcoholic preparation based on gentian, herbs and spices, produced by the House of Angostura in Trinidad and Tobago. The bitters were first produced in the town of Angostura (now Ciudad Bolívar, Venezuela), hence the name.

The recipe was initially developed as a tonic by Johann Gottlieb Benjamin Siegert, a German surgeon general in Simón Bolívar’s army in Venezuela. Siegert began to sell it in 1824 and established his distillery in 1830. The product was sold abroad from 1853, and in 1875, manufacturing moved from Ciudad Bolivar to Port of Spain, Trinidad, where it remains today.

Besides its bright yellow cap, what really distinguishes a bottle of Angostura bitters is the label: It’s too big! As the story goes, once Siegert’s sons took over the business from their father, they set out to market the bitters however they could, which included entering a competition. In a scramble to get their product ready for judging, one brother was assigned the task of retrieving bottles, while another went to print labels. You can see where this is going, right? By the time they realised the error, it was too late to correct. Though Angostura lost the competition, a friendly judge suggested the brothers make that ill-fitting label their signature and part of their branding. The advice stuck.

The recipe is a closely guarded secret. Allegedly, only five people in the entire world know it. As the only people with the recipe, they’ve even made a pact never to fly together as a safety measure. Guessing how much of this is fact, fiction, or just good marketing is all part of the fun, but it’s clear the secret formula is kept close to the chest.

Angostura bitters is a key ingredient in many cocktails and the bottle is a familiar sight in just about every one of the world’s bars. It is used in iconic cocktails such as the Old Fashioned (whiskey, bitters, sugar and water) and the Manhattan (rye whiskey and sweet vermouth).

In 2009, a shortage of Angostura bitters occurred due to a shortage of bottles. “It’s getting tough to get a Manhattan in Manhattan,” declared the New York Post in January of 2010.

And bitters can also be used in soft drinks. A common drink served in Australian and New Zealand pubs is lemon, lime and bitters (LLB). [Ed: Personally, I prefer the less common and less sweet “bitters, lime and soda”.]

The largest purveyor of Angostura bitters in the world is Nelsen’s Hall Bitters Pub on Washington Island in Wisconsin. The pub began selling shots of bitters as a “stomach tonic for medicinal purposes” under a pharmaceutical license during Prohibition in the United States. The practice continued post-Prohibition. As of 2018, the pub hosts a Bitters Club and sells upwards of 10,000 shots per year. Not for the faint hearted. [Ed: Bring it on!]

Finally, some people use it as a cooking ingredient. For Trinidadian families Angostura bitters serve as a flavour in everything from stews to desserts. “It’s second nature to Trinis,” said Gerard Besson, a Trinidadian historian and writer who curated The Museum at the House of Angostura. “Without even realising it, you grab the bitters bottle and pass it over the pot.”

Story Idea: Tim Nicholas

Angostura Bitters