Bitters are a distillation of aromatic herbs, barks, roots and plants. The liquid is used to flavor cocktails, aperitifs or foods. Bitters also are used as a digestive aid and as an appetite stimulant.
The story of how Angostura aromatic bitters was originally developed by Dr. J.G.B. Siegert reads like a romance novel. Siegert was a German army surgeon who had achieved distinction in the Napoleonic wars. In 1820, he joined General Simon Bolivar in the fight for South American independence from Spain. His medical achievements were rewarded with his appointment as surgeon general of the military hospital in Guyana.
Seeking to develop a cure for the stomach disorders that were a problem among the troops, he experimented with herbs and spices from all over the world. After four years, he perfected the formula for Angostura aromatic bitters, named for the city in which he lived. Now the bitters is made in a modern factory in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, West Indies, by Siegert’s descendants.