Early origins The origins of bitters go back to the ancient Egyptians, who may have infused medicinal herbs in jars of wine. This practice was further developed during the
Middle Ages, when the availability of distilled alcohol coincided with a renaissance in
pharmacognosy, 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.
Rise of commercial bitters By the nineteenth century, the British practice of adding herbal bitters (used as preventive medicines) to
Canary wine had become immensely popular in the former American colonies. 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". 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 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 had compounded a cure for
sea sickness and stomach maladies, among other medicinal uses. 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. 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
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: "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.
Bitters in cocktails and mixology Pioneering mixologist
Jerry Thomas influenced the popularity of bitters in the United States when he released ''How to Mix Drinks or The Bon-Vivant's Companion'' in 1862. ==Digestive bitters==