The Bar Journal

I love to use Aromatic Bitters in my cocktails…but what `s it ???

1.  Aromatic bitter is an alcoholic beverage that contains herbal essences, has a bitter or bittersweet flavor, and is typically flavored with citrus.

2.  Bitters are principally used as digestifs and as flavorings in cocktails.

3.  Bitters commonly have an alcoholic strength of up to 45{779800b323ee42e5ed999e502e0319b1817165bd3ddf64ca8ef6f651c78cdacf} ABV but are normally consumed only in small amounts as a digestif or when added as a flavoring agent (similar to vanilla flavoring, which is also dissolved in alcohol).

4.  In the United Kingdom, Angostura bitters are not classified as an alcoholic beverage due to their bitter taste, and they can be bought by a person of any age.

Made from a combination of angostura bark, cascarilla, gentian, orange peel and quinine, bitters were first developed in the early 1800’s for medicinal purposes as a cure for hiccups and upset stomachs. The two oldest bitters brands, Angostura and Peychaud’s, can both be traced back to this time. Angosutura was developed as a tonic in 1824 by the German Surgeon General, Dr Johann Gottlieb Benjamin Siegert, while living in Venezuela using local ingredients, which he kept a closely guarded secret.

Peychaud’s was originally created around 1830 by Creole apothecary Antoine Amedee Peychaud, who settled in New Orleans. Like Angostura, Peychaud’s was gentian-based but with a sweeter taste and more floral aroma.

Elsewhere, many top bartenders and mixologists have begun making their own bitters, or are trying to recreate classics. Cocktail blogs are full of entries displaying recipes for bitters. According to the blog, The Bar Mix Master Has Spoken: “The fortunes of bitters have reversed thanks to the hard work of dedicated cocktailians and companies like Fee Brothers and the category is now probably healthier than it has been since prior to 1920.”

I do believe today Aromatic Bitters are over use by bartenders and not always appreciate by the consumers…

“Add Aromatic Bitters in a drink with juice and fruits will not add any extra value or flavor, but looks cool and It`s trendy in the bar community..

What about your bar, do you make your own bitters? Consumers are really like them? Do they understand what`s it ?

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