If you spend as much time in food stores as I do, you encounter ingredients that intrigue and must be taken home, even if you won't use them right away.
When I discovered Angostura aromatic bitters, I had not fully invested in cocktail culture. But I bought a bottle because the yellow cap caught my eye and the paper wrapper with its official crest and detailed history signaled something important. Any product that dared flaunt its history in this fashion was bound to be top-notch. Although I knew what bitters was used for, its impact didn't hit home until I began sampling classic cocktails. Then I discovered the complexity of this potent, dark elixir.
The cocktail, a mixture of liquor, water, sugar and bitters, is genius at easing the stress of the day away or preparing the stomach for a great meal. Developed 187 years ago by Dr. Johann G. B. Siegert, who managed a military hospital in Venezuela, Angostura bitters began as a tonic to ease stomach discomfort. Siegert named the product after the town where he set up private practice. After his death, Siegert's sons moved Angostura Limited (now known as the House of Angostura) to Trinidad.
