Cocktails with Angostura aromatic bitters
Angostura aromatic bitters is a concentrated, high-proof gentian-based bitters steeped with a secret blend of herbs and spices — the bar’s most universal bottle, a warm spiced bitterness that suits almost any drink.
ABV44.7%High, but negligible in use since it’s only ever dashed.
Substitutes for Angostura aromatic bitters
Any gentian-based aromatic bitters seasons a drink the same way at the same dash count, and what changes is which spices lead. When the recipe is built on this particular blend, as an Old Fashioned or a Manhattan is, nothing else reads right.
Often confused with
Peychaud’s bitters
Lighter, more floral and anise-led, and noticeably redder in the glass; it swaps dash for dash and turns the drink in a New Orleans direction.
Orange bitters
Citrus peel leads here, not warm spice and gentian. Both come from the same maker and they are never interchangeable: dash orange into an Old Fashioned and the drink turns bright and loses its warmth.
Bitters that actually contain angostura bark
Despite the name this one has none — it is named after the Venezuelan town. Brands that do use the bark are sharper and drier, and a dash of one bitters the drink more noticeably.
