Angostura Aromatic Bitters

• Aromatic bitters tend to be a mix of baking spice, licorice, fruit, and bitter notes. While some brands will push one of these aspects to the fore, Angostura bitters keep things pretty balanced.  Clove, nutmeg, allspice, cardamom, and a touch of cinnamon represent the baking spice angle, and while there’s a recognizable licorice note, it doesn’t dominate.  A sweet and sour tamarind-esque fruit flavor shows up next, with a woody, slightly bitter flavor rounding things out

How to use Angostura Bitters?

• Don’t be afraid to experiment, these are super friendly and it’s hard to go wrong. The spice profile makes it a natural fit for barrel-aged spirits, any cocktail that uses sweet vermouth, coffee mocktails, as well as cola, root beer, and ginger sodas.  That sweet and sour tang also makes it a great match for sparkling water, fruit juices and sodas, and teas.

How’d it get that name?

• Angostura – Named for the town of Angostura, in which they were created.
• Aromatic – An aromatized alcohol is one that has been infused with botanicals, plant items like spices, herbs, fruits, etc. While almost all bitters are alcohol-based and made this way, the name is used today to represent a more classic flavor profile.
• Bitters – The category was created with a medicinal purpose in mind, and many of the tree barks and plant roots thought to have medicinal qualities also had a bitter flavor. That bitterness was masked with other ingredients, so most don’t actually have an overtly bitter flavor. The concentrated kind we dash into drinks are known as cocktail bitters, while aperitif and digestif wines and liqueurs designed to be sipped on their own are known as digestive bitters. (Originally known as Amargo, Spanish for bitter. See also Amaro, Italian for bitter.)

The Trinidad Sour Cocktail - use a pour instead of a dash with this modern classic... (it’s why we keep the 16 oz size around!)

• 1 oz Angostura Aromatic Bitters
• 1 oz Orgeat Syrup
• ¾ oz Lemon Juice
• ½ oz Rye Whiskey