Editing Bitters (section)

{{Short description|Alcoholic preparation flavored with botanical matter}}
{{Other uses|Bitter (disambiguation)}}
{{Use American English|date=May 2020}}

[[Image:Kujawische Magen-Essenz, bottle, front view.jpg|thumb|180px|An old bottle of "[[Kuyavia]]n Stomach Essence", bitters from Posen, Germany (now [[Poznań]], in Poland)]]
A '''bitters''' (plural also ''bitters'') is traditionally an [[Alcoholic drink|alcoholic]] preparation flavored with botanical matter for a [[Bitterness (taste)|bitter]] or bittersweet [[Flavoring|flavor]]. Originally, numerous longstanding brands of bitters were developed as [[patent medicine]]s, but lately are sold as [[digestif]]s, sometimes with [[herbalism|herbal]] properties, and as [[cocktail]] flavorings.

Since cocktails often contain sour and sweet flavors, bitters are used to engage another [[primary taste]] and thereby balance out the drink and make it more complex, giving it a more complete flavor profile.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.townandcountrymag.com/leisure/drinks/a8863/cocktail-bitters/|title=Everything You Need to Know About Bitters|first=Lauren|last=Hubbard|date=February 14, 2022|website=Town & Country}}</ref>