Angostura

Angostura bitters has been made by the same Trinidad based company since the 1870s, though the recipe dates back further, to 1824 and a German doctor named Johann Siegert, who first blended it as a tonic for stomach complaints in Venezuela. His sons later moved the business to Trinidad, and the formula has stayed a closely guarded secret for nearly two hundred years since. It has grown from a medicinal tincture into one of the most widely used names in spirits and cocktails.

A few dashes go into some of the most enduring cocktail classics, from a Manhattan to an Old Fashioned, adding a warm, aromatic bitterness that ties a drink together. The range extends beyond the original aromatic style to an orange bitters used the same way, for a brighter, citrus forward edge. It sits at the centre of the wider world of bitters, a genuine cocktail cabinet essential.