Editing Bitters

{{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>

==Ingredients==
The botanical ingredients used historically in preparing bitters have consisted of aromatic herbs, bark, roots, and/or fruit for their flavor and medicinal properties. Some of the more common ingredients are [[cascarilla]], [[Cinnamomum aromaticum|cassia]] (Chinese cinnamon), [[gentian]], [[Zest (ingredient)|orange peel]], and [[cinchona bark]].

Most bitters contain both water and [[ethanol|alcohol]], the latter of which functions as a [[solvent]] for botanical extracts as well as a preservative. The alcoholic strength of bitters varies widely across brands and styles. Some modern bitters are made with vegetable [[glycerol|glycerin]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/food/story/booze-problem-nonalcoholic-drinks-shaking-beverage-industry-82065981|title=No booze, no problem: How nonalcoholic drinks are shaking up the beverage industry|first=Kelly|last=McCarthy|date=January 6, 2022|website=Good Morning America}}</ref> instead, allowing those avoiding alcohol to enjoy them.

==History==
[[Image:AdvertisementDrCoppsWhiteMountainBitters1883.jpg|thumb|This 1883 [[advertisement]] promised help with a variety of ailments.]]
The origins of bitters go back to the ancient Egyptians, who may have infused medicinal herbs in jars of wine.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.sciencenews.org/article/ancient-remedy-bitter-herbs-and-sweet-wine| title=Ancient Remedy: Bitter Herbs and Sweet Wine| date=13 April 2009| access-date=2013-11-03 }}</ref> This practice was further developed during the [[Middle Ages]], when the availability of distilled alcohol coincided with a renaissance in [[pharmacognosy]],<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.faculty.ucr.edu/~legneref/botany/medicine.htm| title=Medicinal Plants (History)| access-date=2013-11-03 }}</ref> which made possible more-concentrated herbal bitters and tonic preparations. Many of the brands and styles of digestive bitters reflect herbal stomachic and tonic preparations whose roots are claimed to be traceable back to [[Renaissance]] era pharmacopoeia and traditions.

By the nineteenth century, the British practice of adding herbal bitters (used as preventive medicines) to [[Sack (wine)|Canary wine]] had become immensely popular in the former American colonies.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/food/2012/03/history-of-cocktail-bitters/ |title=A Brief History of Bitters |publisher=smithsonianmag.com |access-date=2013-11-03 |url-status=dead |archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20130112012913/http%3A//blogs%2Esmithsonianmag%2Ecom/food/2012/03/history%2Dof%2Dcocktail%2Dbitters/ |archive-date= January 12, 2013 }}</ref> By 1806, American publications referenced the popularity of a new preparation, termed ''cocktail'', which was described as a combination of "a stimulating liquor, composed of spirits of any kind, sugar, water, and bitters".<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.imbibemagazine.com/Origin-Story/| title=Origin of the Cocktail| publisher=imbibemagazine.com| access-date=2013-11-03| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130820225539/http://imbibemagazine.com/Origin-Story| archive-date=2013-08-20}}</ref>

Of the commercial aromatic bitters that would emerge from this period, perhaps the best known is [[Angostura bitters]]. In spite of its name, the preparation contains no medicinal bark from the [[Angostura trifoliata|angostura]] tree; instead, it is named after the town of Angostura, later [[Ciudad Bolívar]], in Venezuela. Eventually the factory was moved from Bolivar to [[Port of Spain]], Trinidad in 1875. German physician {{ILL|Johann Gottlieb Benjamin Siegert|de}} had compounded a cure for sea sickness and stomach maladies, among other medicinal uses.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thespiritsbusiness.com/2016/10/angostura-a-brand-history/|title=Angostura: a brand history|last=Hayes|first=Annie|date=2016-10-05|website=The Spirit Business|access-date=2019-11-29}}</ref> Siegert subsequently formed the [[House of Angostura]] to sell the bitters to sailors.

Another renowned aromatic bitters with nineteenth-century roots is [[Peychaud's Bitters]], originally developed by apothecary [[Antoine Amédée Peychaud]] in [[New Orleans]], Louisiana. It is most commonly associated with the [[Sazerac (cocktail)|Sazerac cocktail]].

A popular style of bitters that emerged from the period is [[orange bitters]], the flavor of which ranges from dryly aromatic to fruity, and which is commonly made from the rinds of [[Bitter orange|Seville oranges]] and spices. Orange bitters are often called for in older cocktail recipes. An early recipe for such bitters is in ''[[The English and Australian Cookery Book]]'':<ref>{{cite book |last=Abbott |first=Edward |title=The English and Australian Cookery Book |url=https://archive.org/details/b21505524 |date=1864}}</ref> "Make your own bitters as follows, and we can vouch for their superiority. One ounce and a half of gentian-root, one ounce and a half of lemon-peel, one ounce and a half of orange-peel. Steep these ingredients for about a month in a quart of sherry, and then strain and bottle for use. Bitters are a fine stomachic, but they must be used with caution."

Bitters prepared from the tree bark containing the antimalarial [[quinine]] occasionally were included in historical cocktail recipes. It masked the medicine's intensely bitter flavor. Trace quantities of quinine are still included as a flavoring in [[tonic water]], which is used mostly in drinks with [[gin]].{{cn|date=February 2025}}

Pioneering mixologist [[Jerry Thomas (bartender)|Jerry Thomas]] was largely responsible for an increase in the popularity of bitters in the United States when he released ''How to Mix Drinks or The Bon-Vivant's Companion'' in 1862.<ref name=NYT103107>William Grimes, [https://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/31/dining/31cock.html The Bartender Who Started It All], ''New York Times'', October 31, 2007.</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Uncorked: The bitter revolution |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/dining/recipes/sc-food-0311-uncorked-bitters-20110316-story.html |website=chicagotribune.com |date=15 March 2011 |access-date=11 March 2019 }}; {{cite web |title=The Bitter Truth |url=http://imbibe.com/news-articles/spirits-cocktails/features-the-bitter-truth8643/ |website=imbibe.com |access-date=11 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190315004959/http://imbibe.com/news-articles/spirits-cocktails/features-the-bitter-truth8643/ |archive-date=15 March 2019 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Digestive bitters==
Digestive bitters are typically consumed in many European and South American countries either [[Bartending terminology#Neat|neat]] or [[Bartending terminology#On the rocks|on the rocks]] at the end of a meal. Many, including popular Italian-style [[amaro (drink)|amaro]]s and German-style [[Kräuterlikör]]s, are often used in cocktails as well.

Some notable examples of modern digestive bitters include:
{{div col|colwidth=16em}}
*[[Alomo Bitters]] (Ghana, Nigeria)
*[[Amaro Averna]] (Caltanissetta, Italy)
*[[Amaro Lucano]] (Pisticci, Italy)
*[[Amaro Montenegro]] (Bologna, Italy)
*[[Ramazzotti (liquor)|Amaro Ramazzotti]] (Asti, Italy)
*[[Amaro Sibilla]] (Marche, Italy)
*[[Aperol]] (Padova, Italy)
*[[Balsam (drink)|Balsam]] (Eastern Europe)
*[[Becherovka]] (Czech Republic)
*[[Beerenburg]] (Netherlands)
*[[Blutwurz]] (Bavaria)
*[[Braulio (liqueur)|Braulio]] (Valtellina, Italy)
*[[Calisaya]] (United States)
*[[Campari]] (Novara-Milan, Italy)
*[[Cynar]] (Padova-Milan, Italy)
*[[Fernet-Branca]] (Milan, Italy)
*[[Fernet Stock]] (Italy-Czech Republic)
*[[Gammel Dansk]] (Denmark)
*[[Gran Classico Bitter]] (Switzerland)
*[[Hesperidina]] (Argentina)
*[[Jägermeister]] (Germany)
*[[Jeppson's Malört]] (United States) 
*[[Killepitsch]] (Düsseldorf, Germany)
*[[Kuemmerling]] (Germany)
*[[Pelinkovac]] ([[Balkans]])
*[[Quinquina]] (France – originally from South America)
*[[Zucca (aperitif)|Rabarbaro Zucca]] (Milan, Italy)
*[[Ratzeputz]] (Germany)
*[[Riga Black Balsam]] (Latvia)
*[[St. Vitus (drink)|St. Vitus]] (Germany)
*[[Schierker Feuerstein]] (Germany)
*[[Schwartzhog]] (Germany)
*[[Sirop de Picon]] (France)
*[[Suze (drink)|Suze]] (France)
*[[Tubi 60]] (Israel)
*[[Underberg]] (Germany)
*[[Unicum]] (Hungary)
*[[Wódka Żołądkowa Gorzka]] (Poland)
*[[Wurzelpeter]] (Germany)
{{div col end}}

==Cocktail bitters==
[[File:Angostura aromatic bitters dD.jpg|thumb|A bottle of Angostura aromatic bitters with its distinctive, over-sized label]]
[[File:Whiskey sour in coupe glass with garnishes.jpg|thumb|A [[whiskey sour]], served in a [[coupe glass]], is garnished with drops of [[Peychaud's Bitters]] swirled into the foam (from egg white) atop the drink.]]
Cocktail bitters are used for flavoring cocktails in drops or dashes. In the United States, many cocktail bitters are classified as alcoholic non-beverage products (''non-beverage'' meaning not consumed like a typical beverage). As alcoholic non-beverage products, they are often available from retailers who do not sell liquor, such as supermarkets in many US states.

Some notable examples of cocktail bitters include:<ref>{{cite web |title=Ten Essential Bitters and How to Use Them |url=https://punchdrink.com/articles/ten-essential-aromatic-cocktail-bitters-and-how-to-use-them/ |website=punchdrink.com |access-date=11 March 2019 |archive-date=19 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220319062605/https://punchdrink.com/articles/ten-essential-aromatic-cocktail-bitters-and-how-to-use-them/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>
*[[Angostura bitters]] – originally from [[Venezuela]] in 1830, currently from [[Trinidad and Tobago]]
*[[Boker's Bitters]] – called for in many cocktails in Jerry Thomas' drink guide,<ref>{{cite web |title=Cocktail History: Bogart's Bitters is a Recreation of a 150-Year-Old Recipe |url=https://www.themanual.com/food-and-drink/the-bitter-truth-bogarts-bitters/ |website=themanual.com |date=5 February 2018 |access-date=11 March 2019}}</ref> and essential to the [[Martinez (cocktail)|Martinez]] cocktail
*[[Meinhard's Bitters]]  – a now-defunct bitter with Venezuelan origins
*[[Peychaud's Bitters]] – originally from New Orleans, Louisiana, but now produced in [[Kentucky]]

==See also==
{{Commons category-inline}}
{{Portal|Drink|Liquor}}
* [[Flavored liquor]] – alcoholic beverage with added flavoring and, in most cases, added [[sugar]]
* [[Gentian (spirit)]] – alcoholic drink
* [[Purl]] – alcoholic beverage
* [[Shrub (drink)]] – fruit liqueur or vinegared syrup cordial
* [[Swedish bitters]] – traditional herbal tonic

==References==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:Bitters| ]]