Cocktail bitters date back as far as the early 1800s. It’s well known that their purpose was originally medicinal, with Dr Johann Siegert developing the first aromatic bitters in Venezuela to aid troops suffering from malaria. In the 1870s, his three sons emigrated with their father’s recipe to Trinidad, where they developed the Angostura brand specifically for cocktails.
Ever since then the Angostura recipe has remained a secret. This secrecy, while initially protecting the brand from plagiarism, also added a layer of mystique and remains a central part of the brand’s marketing strategy today.
To celebrate its bicentenary last year, Angostura launched a special edition of its bitters at a gala event in Trinidad’s Port of Spain. This time the company declared angelica root, Roman wormwood, nutmeg and Angostura’s own aged rum in its recipe.
“When we speak to bartenders, they all tell us that there are no bitters that can be readily used and be so versatile as our bitters – it really gives the cocktails a different flavour and changes the cocktail. I don't think there’s anybody that comes close. I think we are the Rolls Royce of bitters,” said Angostura chair Terrence Bharath during an interview with Drinks International at the company’s HQ.
While this limited edition has excited bartenders globally, it wasn’t until 2007 – the best part of its 200 years – that the brand launched its orange variety, the first recipe not developed by Siegert in the 1800s. In fact, including the bicentennial edition, Angostura has released just five iterations of its cocktail bitters and over the past 15 years a number of brands have identified this opportunity.
In Italy, traditional spirits producer Luxardo has entered the cocktail bitters sector with the launch of its own range in the US. Imported by Hotaling & Co, the range consists of Sour Cherry, Chamomile, Coffee, Rhubarb and Bitter Orange flavours.
“Given the global growth of cocktails and Luxardo’s legacy in Italian artisanal spirits that spans more than 200 years, we're pleased to offer a new line of products that helps deliver the complexity and depth of flavour modern consumers expect from their cocktails,” says Matteo Luxardo, export director.
“Bitters are like the seasoning of cocktails, giving top bartenders and at-home mixologists alike a way to experiment with different flavours and bring a new dimension to tried and true drinks.”
A new era
From traditional producers showing innovation to innovative new producers, we have Bittered Sling. In 2012 wife and husband team Lauren Mote and Jonathan Chovancek launched their cocktail bitters – the first ones in Canada – which have since featured in various editions of Drinks International’s Brands Report.
At the time of writing, Bittered Sling had 14 varieties available on its website, ranging from Moondog Latin to Plum & Rootbeer to Zingiber Crabapple. With transparency of ingredients, the brand cherishes these specific flavour combinations as part of its marketing, to highlight their intricacies.
Sitting in its core range is Grapefruit & Hops, which features grapefruit peel, peppercorn, cinchona and Lillooet hops. A member of the hemp family, hops are commonly associated with the beer industry but there are several producers now integrating them in cocktail bitters.
The Bitter Truth was launched in Germany in 2006 by bartenders Stephen Berg and Alex Hauck. Over the subsequent 20 years they have built up a wide-ranging portfolio of cocktail bitters and the latest release, Hazy Hops Bitters, uses Bavarian hops in its recipe.
“For more than 1,000 years, hops have been cultivated here (Bavaria), primarily to lend their fruity aromas and signature bitterness to beer,” says Berg. “Innovation has always been at the heart of The Bitter Truth Co, and the launch of The Bitter Truth Hazy Hops Bitters is a perfect testament to that commitment. We have taken aromatic hops and created a unique flavour.”
During a tasting at Prowein earlier this year, Berg told Drinks International that they’d wanted to work with hops for a long time and that the hemp aroma has generated curiosity among bartenders. Hauck, who creates many of the suggested serves for new products, fell on a twisted Negroni for Hazy Hops Bitters, switching out gin for white rum and adding the bitters.
“Because it’s such a new product we don’t know exactly how bartenders are likely to use it,” says Hauck. “But I like to use a Negroni to test our new products on. It’s a simple but versatile cocktail which we can showcase any new bitters in.”
For its latest expression, due to launch in April, Berg says Hazy Hops Bitters uses Caribbean rums to form the basis of its spirit.
“We use different alcohol bases for our different cocktail bitters because each flavour is complemented by a different spirit. It wouldn’t make any sense for us to try to achieve a range of different flavours always using the same base spirit.”
It may have taken almost 200 years for Angostura to branch away from its original, secret formula, but we’re now seeing brands all over the world explore new flavour combinations and experiment with different ingredients – just as Dr Siegert would have in Venezuela in the early 1800s.
