Bitters For Health and Cocktails

Bitters refers to an alcoholic beverage, a spirit flavoured with bitter herbs or roots. In many cases these spirits were formulated for their medicinal properties. Some are still considered to be beneficial for various ailments but mostly bitters are drunk as either an apéritif or as a digestif accompanying food. Alternatively bitters such as campari may be enjoyed as a drink in their own right or used to season other drinks as ingredients in cocktails.

Some Examples of the More Popular Bitters

Angostura - Invented in the 19th century by German medic Dr. Johann Siegert who served Simon Bolivar a famous South American Revolutionary. It's named after a town in Venezuela. It's now made exclusively in Trinidad by a company founded by it's inventor. The recipe is a closely guarded secret but is known to contain gentian amongst other herbal flavourings. Popular in the British Royal Navy as a cure for Nausea and an ingredient in "Pink Gin" a maritime officers' favourite.

Campari - Produced in Milan, Italy. The Bright red colour came originally from crushed cochineal insects (the source of carmine dye). Commonly drunk with soda water it is also a common ingredient in many cocktails and mixer drinks.

Amaro - A large group of bitters produced in Italy. Dozens of varieties are commercially produced including Lucano,Averna, Ramazzotti,, and Montenegro. Fernet Branca is widely used as a hangover cure.

Amer Picon - This French bitter was originally an antimalarial remedy formulated by an army officer in Algeria.

Underburg - German bitter sometimes sold in health stores. Contains herbs from 43 countries and is sold in tiny 20ml bottles.

Unicum - Produced in Hungary. A Proprietary Czech spirit-based aperitif/digestif bitters said to have been formulated by the court physician to the Emperor of Austria Hungary, in the late 18th Century. The bitterness is balanced with a slight sweetness.

Suze - A French brand of bitters flavoured with gentian. Most often drunk as a apéritif. Famously depicted in Pablo Picasso's painting "Verre et bouteille de Suze".