What are bitters?

I’ll be honest with you, I didn’t fully understand what bitters were until I started obsessing over them and making my own at home. I had the same trust bottle of Angosutra aromatic bitters on my bar for decades, but I can’t remember how it got there or ever using them when making a drink. It wasn’t until I was turned on to spicy bitters and soda when I stopped drinking alcohol that I immersed myself in all things bitters. I realized the right bitters made the perfect most satisfying mocktail, and then I was hooked.

Bitters are often called the spice rack of the cocktail world, they add depth and complexity in the same way a pinch of sea salt adds to a piece of caramel or saffron makes a paella. All they really are is a concentrated flavor extract—an infusion of botanicals, herbs, peels, roots, fruits, peppers.

Bitters have been around since before the Civil War and were originally crafted for medicinal purposes that helped with everything from malaria to digestion.