Angostura bitters
Liqueurs & bitters · usually a accent · in 8 cocktails here
What it is
Concentrated aromatic tincture, used in dashes. Angostura is the default; a bottle lasts years and transforms simple drinks.
Typically about £10 a bottle in the UK.
What it tastes like
Gentian bitterness with clove, cinnamon and dried orange. Intensely concentrated: a dash perfumes a whole drink.
What it does in a drink
Seasoning. It is to a cocktail what salt is to food — it does not make the drink taste of bitters, it makes everything else taste more like itself.
Cocktails with angostura bitters
Unlocks 7 recipes on Drinki, and is optional in 1 more.
Best known
- Manhattan IBA Rye and sweet vermouth in a wool overcoat.
- Old Fashioned IBA Spirit, sugar, bitters, ice. The original definition of the word cocktail.
- Whiskey Sour IBA The template every other sour is a remix of.
- Sazerac IBA Rinse the glass, discard the absinthe. The ghost of it is the point.
- Planter’s Punch IBA One of sour, two of sweet, three of strong, four of weak.
- Vieux Carré IBA New Orleans in a glass — rye and cognac sharing the driving.
- Nogroni Bitter, orange-led and adult. Grapefruit does the Campari’s job.
- Oaxaca Old Fashioned Smoke and agave. Flame the orange peel if you want the full show.
What it pairs with
The ingredients that turn up alongside angostura bitters far more often than chance would predict.
Substitutes
Nothing substitutes for angostura bitters convincingly.