Angostura

Angostura bitters (English: /æŋɡəˈstjʊərə/) is a concentrated bitters (herbal alcoholic preparation) based on gentian, herbs, and spices,[1] produced by 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 town of Angostura (now Ciudad Bolívar, Venezuela), hence the name, but do not contain angostura bark. The bottle is recognisable by its distinctive oversized label. Angostura is Spanish for "narrowing", the town of Angostura having been at the first narrowing of the Orinoco River.

angostura

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.

Angostura bitters is alleged to have restorative properties.[11] Angostura brand bitters is often incorrectly believed to have poisonous qualities because it is associated with angostura bark (which it does not contain), which, although not toxic, during its use as a medicine was often adulterated by unscrupulous sellers,[12] who padded out the sacks of bark with cheaper, poisonous Strychnos nux-vomica or copalchi bark.[1][13] Angostura is still often used by Trinidadians to treat digestive problems, under the assumption that the ingredient gentian may aid indigestion.[citation needed]

The process of seasoning soup is usually one of trial and error. If you are going to add angostura aromatic bitters to your soup, do so early in the cooking process, and don't taste the soup right after seasoning it. It takes time for seasonings and spices to completely infuse a soup with their flavor. Allow your soup to simmer for at least 15 minutes after adding any spices or seasonings. Tasting it after this time has passed will allow you to get a better sense of the flavors you have developed. In the case of Angostura bitters, it's also important to allow the alcohol to cook off before tasting it. Although the bitters don't add a significant amount of alcohol, residual alcohol flavors tend to be undesirable.

Trinidadians put Angostura bitters on a lot of things, and one of those things is ice cream (via Trinigourmet). It might sound like an odd combination, but adding a few dashes to vanilla or citrus-flavored ice cream infuses it with uplifting flavors. If you have some vanilla ice cream in your freezer and a bottle of angostura bitters, go ahead and try it. It's like being able to make a gourmet ice cream sundae with just a few shakes of your wrist. 041b061a72