Angostura-Style Aromatic Bitters
Created by Dr. Johann Gottlieb Benjamin Siegert in Angostura, Venezuela in 1824, originally as a medicinal stomach tonic for soldiers and sailors. The word 'cocktail' in its 1806 definition literally means 'spirit, sugar, water, and bitters' — bitters were the pharmaceutical component that made morning drinking socially acceptable (it was 'medicinal'). Prohibition killed dozens of American bitters brands — Abbott's Old Fashioned Bitters was the most important extinct example, appearing in Jerry Thomas (1862) and Harry Johnson (1882) but lost after Prohibition. The DNA is gone; recreations are 'educated guesses.'
Flavor Profile
Aromatic, cinnamon-clove-forward. The foundation bitters — 'If a recipe just says bitters, it means Angostura.' Layers of warm spice, dried fruit, subtle bittering agent from gentian. Functions as a flavoring in drops, not as a primary ingredient.
Key Producers
44.7% ABV; oversized label; the foundation of any bitters collection
More accessible; slightly sweeter; good well alternative