You know it - that instantly recognizable yellow-capped bottle at a liquor establishment, grocery store, or collecting dust at the very back of your dad’s bar. You should since the modern-day cocktail boom of the 2000’s placed it at the front as the Original Gangster (OG) bitter to use - Angostura. Bitters came into existence long before cocktails did. People infused herbs, spices, and barks typically with alcohol to render every bit of flavour and colour from them. Many of these infusions were hailed as cure-all’s for various medical ailments.
The origin of the word “cocktail” was heavily disputed until David Wondrich successfully traced it back to England at the turn of 18th century, yet some still insist it was first published in a Federalist newspaper 100 years later. Regardless, we all agree that it is a mixture of spirits, water, sugar and bitters. From a cocktail perspective, their role is akin to salt and pepper: A seasoning to enhance or spice up flavours. Bitters can impart the slightest creative change that suddenly awakens the palate. Walk into any cocktail shop or liquor store and you’ll see how endless the options are now. To start a home bar
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the whisky explorer magazine
FALL 2023
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