Bit•ters (n.): The medicinal and not-so-medicinal truth

Bitters are a must-have in the tickle trunk of any aspiring mixologist. But the origin of this pungent, plant-and-herb-based alcohol is somewhat steeped in confusion. What is known, however, is that for cen-turies, bitters were used as medicinal cure-alls. So when and why did they make their leap to the liquor cabinet? Here’s a taste of how it happened.

A Dash of This…

Bitters typically have long lists of ingredients derived from three main things: bitterns (bark, roots and herbs), aromatics (flowers, seeds and fruit) and, of course, alcohol. Those ingredients are then turned into bitters through one of three processes: infusion, digestion or maceration.

For infusion, the aromatic essences are added to the alcohol, distilled and the alcohol-rich condensation is collected. For digestion, the alcohol base “digests” the essences under a slow heating process until they’re dissolved. For maceration, the ingredients are steeped (like tea) but without heat. Some bitters are also made from a combination of all three -processes.

The Cure-All Years

Doctors, chemists and botanists have experi-mented with herbs and plants for millennia. Like aqua vitae (alcohol of wine), -discovered around the 9th century, bitters was said to cure everything from headaches to ill tempers. A German doctor by the name of J.G.B. Siegert joined the 19th century Venezuelan military leader Simón Bolívar in South America. There, Siegert began experimenting with Venezuelan native plants and herbs to create a “bitter” medicine for Bolívar’s troops to keep their spirits up—pun intended. He named the medicine Angostura, after the city in which he developed it. A Creole pharmacist in New Orleans, A.A. Peychaud, also developed bitters to be used to cure stomach complaints. He told his clients to add a little cognac to the bitters to make it more drinkable.

Cocktails & Prohibition

When exactly bitters switched from being a main part of a medicinal drink to being an ingredient in a cocktail, no one really knows. But pharmacist A.A. Peychaud may have helped it on its way with his bitters-cognac recipe. The first recipe to have bitters in a cocktail is the Sazerac (sugar cube, rye whisky or bourbon, Herbsaint, Peychaud’s bitters and lemon peel), which gave way to Old Fashioneds and Manhattans. But just when bitters reached their height of popularity, the enforcement of Prohibition (1919–1933) in the United States almost drove it out of existence. Because these recipes were closely guarded and very few people knew the entire recipes, bitters were easily -forgotten and/or very hard to get.

Retro with a Twist

Thanks to the TV series Mad Men and the rise of all things retro, classic cocktails are back on pop-culture’s radar. People are now proudly ordering Old Fashioneds, champagne cocktails, martinis and mint juleps—many of which call for bitters. As a result, Angostura and Peychaud’s have returned to bar shelves, and new companies are getting into the bitters game. Try adding a dash of bitters to your ice before adding the liquids, for this allows the aromas of the bitters to slowly release with every sip. However, don’t just think of cocktails when you use your bitters. Foodies are now adding them to barbeque sauces, soups and bisques, salad dressings, hamburgers—even crêpes Suzette.  t8n

Fun Fact

According to the medical claims of the 19th century, some of the things bitters were supposed to “cure” are indigestion, flatulence, nausea, nighttime restlessness, memory loss, diaphragm pain, nervousness and hypochondria.

Some common ingredients in bitters are horehound, anise, Jesuit’s bark, gentian, fennel, cardamom, caraway, liquorice, wormwood and cinnamon.

Did You Know?

Only five people on the planet know the recipe for Angostura Bitters, and they made a pact never to eat at the same restaurant or be on the same flight together.