Angostura Aromatic Bitters

The classic cocktail bitters that invented the category and ushered in the golden age of cocktail making.

When you hear the name "Angostura" the first thing that you think of is their production of that small bottle of indispensable awesome flavor, Angostura Bitters. In addition to their eponymous cocktail bitters, since day one Angostura Distillery has produced of some of the finest Caribbean Rum in the world. In fact, on the islands of Trinidad and Tobago, Angostura controls all the Rum production. Most of their Rums are sold to brand bottlers and blends, but they have quietly started issuing a range of premium Rums under their own, storied nameplate.

The recipe for Angostura Aromatic Bitters was developed by Johann Gottlieb Benjamin Siegert — a high-ranking surgeon in Simon Bolivar’s army. He developed the recipe using local herbs and flowers, apparently helped by indigenous tribes of coastal South America. The exact recipe is kept strictly confidential, but the core is South American gentian root — a bright blue flowering herb of the mountains.

Angostura Aromatic Bitters is an essential element of cocktail greatness. These little flasks with the oversized label and aromatic character is an ubiquitous and irreplaceable ingredient in more cocktails than we can count.