Angostura bitters

Angostura bitters (English: /æŋɡəˈstjʊərə/) is a concentrated bitters (herbal alcoholic preparation) based on gentian, herbs, and spices, produced by the House of Angostura in Trinidad and Tobago. It is typically used for flavouring beverages or, less often, food. The bitters were first produced in the namesake town of Angostura (now Ciudad Bolívar, Venezuela) but do not contain angostura bark. The bottle is recognisable because of its distinctive oversized label and yellow cap. Angostura is Spanish for "narrowing", the town of Angostura having been at the first narrowing of the Orinoco River.

Beverages named "Angostura Bitter" or "Angobitter" are also offered from other brands (e.g., Riemerschmid, Hemmeter). Unlike the House of Angostura product, they contain angostura bark, possibly to justify the use of the word "angostura" in their names.

The recipe was developed as a tonic by Johann Gottlieb Benjamin Siegert, a German surgeon general in Simón Bolívar's army in Venezuela. Siegert began selling it in 1824 and established a distillery for that purpose in 1830. Siegert was based in the town of Angostura (later renamed Ciudad Bolívar) and used locally available ingredients, perhaps aided by the indigenous people's botanical knowledge. The product was sold abroad from 1853, and in 1875, the sons of Dr. Siegert moved the manufacturing from Ciudad Bolivar to Port of Spain, Trinidad, where it remains.

Angostura won a medal at the 1873 Vienna World's Fair. The medal is still depicted on the oversized label, along with the reverse, which shows Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria in profile.

The exact formula is a closely guarded secret, with only one person knowing the whole recipe, passed familially.

Since 2007, Angostura has also produced Angostura Orange, an orange bitters with bright floral notes and fresh orange peel. Angostura Orange has not dominated the orange bitters market in the same way that its aromatic bitters have become an essential product for bars and consumers.

In 2009, a shortage of Angostura bitters occurred; the company reported that the primary problem was a shortage of bottles. Incorrect rumours arose of a product recall or that production of the bitters had stopped at the plant in Trinidad. The shortage of bitters was the subject of many news articles and blog posts, particularly in the cocktail industry.

The company observed its 200th anniversary in 2024, as the government of Trinidad and Tobago reported that bitters represented 8% of the market value of exports in its food and beverage sector.