Angostura Bitters “Go Ahead Be Bitter See If I Care”

Rumors suggest that there are over forty ingredients in the 200-year-old tincture created by Surgeon General Dr. J Siegert. He spent over four-years perfecting the recipe in order to encourage the increased appetite and health of his soldiers – primarily the British Navy. But of his forty ingredients, only two have been confirmed as of today. It is perhaps one of the greatest kept secrets in the modern world. Seriously. The ingredients identified are no less mysterious, sugar and Gentian. The latter known as a common poison antidote during the Middle Ages. The former (I hope I got that right, it’s always been a stickler for me. Former or latter? Either way, I trust you to follow along) a common antidote to bad flavored tonics and cures throughout the ages. There are guesses and other recipes with botanical blends claiming to be an approximation of the recipe – but in all seriousness – it is still a closely guarded secret. But the history of the mixture is not, and it’s pretty darn interesting.

Some of the best ideas, in my mind, have come about for “medicinal” uses in earlier times. A few concepts created during periods of tight-laced morality where anything that felt good had to be justified as medical. Other items because they were “acquired” tastes or too expensive to desire common folk appeal. Take gin for instance, another botanical miracle (in my eyes). Development credited to Fransiscus Sylvius, he distilled the fabulous stuff as a pharmaceutical to sooth stomach ailments. Aha, get the drift here? Apparently an upset stomach may have been the root of all good pleasures. Sylvius prescribed the juniper berry concoction we know of as gin for everything from gallstones and gout to irritability. Hey, it’s been known to work on me for the last one.

Providentially, the taste of bitters straight was unappealing to the sailors of Siegert who got together with the patients of Sylvius and came up with a mixture that kept them in the “Pink” for generations. Known as Pink Gin, the combination of bitters and gin was given as a tonic for sea-sickness. I hear if you take a cruise these days, it still works. Meet me on the Lido deck and we’ll test drive it.

In any case, long outliving their prescriptive lives, both gin and bitters have become ingredients that cure our most common of modern ailments – call it ennui, malaise or just happy-hour, if you will.

Odds are you have a bottle of Angostura somewhere in your bar or cabinets – you just don’t recall why. Although Angostura is the most famous of bitters makers – there are two other major makers in the world producing alternative varieties – Peychaud’s in New Orleans and Orange Bitters (who use Seville oranges in their recipe). If you come across the Orange in the cabinets, call a relative because they either made fantastic cocktails or had a sensitive stomach worth getting to know.

When you find this bottle, with it’s indicative oversize label. By the way, there are many stories behind the ill-fitting trademark. Some claim it’s a result of miscommunication, others say it’s just a result of the laid back Caribbean spirit. But mistake or idea, the label is now a recognizable part of the brand.
In any case, find the bottle in your house. Got it? Now throw it out. It’s probably older than you. Go out and buy a new one. Hard to believe, but even herbal mixtures have a timeline and expiration – nothing you find that has a layer of dust on it should stay. Trust me.

Now that you have a new one in your hands, you’re thinking – what do I do with it?? Good questions. Let’s skip the upset stomach and go right to the most common cause - cocktails. I won’t go into details here – you can “google” it and get a thousand great ideas. Try them. Your sophistication in tending to guests will impress. And your remedy for the hangover will show you versatile! What I’m curious about is cooking with bitters.

Angostura bitters have been distilled in Trinidad for 200 years. So naturally, there are many recipes for Caribbean dishes using the stuff. Stews, soups and seafood gumbos galore. Angostura’s website even has a brownie recipe with bitters added. Yet personally, I just can’t fathom the benefit such a small amount might actually impart in a dish. But I’m no sissy. I am embarking on a quest. One thing I have noticed, is the ability of bitters to quell the acidity of citrus does seem to be an advantage. In my favorite, simple salad dressing, for instance – a dash of bitters into the lime juice before mixing with honey/balsamic made me feel a little special. In fact, using bitters as you would balsamic seems a good way to test-drive the tonic. At least that’s my approach. Anybody out there a convert? Tell me how you use bitters in a recipe. I’ll jest set back here with my gin, bitters and tonic while you tell us all about it. [ Angostura Bitters }