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No end in sight for Angostura Bitters shortage

Posted: April 15, 2010

The secret ingredient in many old man cocktails (like Manhattans and Old Fashioneds) has been in short shrift worldwide, and it appears there is no end in sight to the limited availability of the most prominent brand, Angostura Bitters.

The herby, spicy liquid is used to enhance cocktails and is a bartender’s staple. Sometime last summer, production of Angostura Bitters slowed significantly and many bars and restaurants found themselves without bitters for months on end with no explanation as to why:

The reasons are unclear; various sources have attributed the slowdown to the company’s financial problems, a dispute with its bottle supplier and labor strikes in Trinidad.

The Lincoln Journal Star spoke to a local business owner about the bitters shortage:

“We haven’t seen it back here yet,” (Jamie) Tallman said of Angostura, which the shop still gets the occasional request for. “It’s kind of an oddball item. But classic cocktails have come back into vogue; a lot of Bloody Mary recipes call for it. There’s really no substitute for it.”

The bitters shortage, like the financial crisis, sees Manhattan particularly hard hit. A NYC bar owner complained to the Post in January about the bitters crisis in New York:

For legendary New York barkeep Tracy Westmoreland, owner of the defunct Siberia Bar and The Manhattans in Brooklyn, the loss of any kind of drink ingredient is devastating, but none more so than the beloved bitters.

“I believe it is the end of civilization as we know it if we can’t have bitters,” he said. “It’s like when the saber-tooth tiger went extinct. It’s a terrible thing.

“There is no replacement. Trying to replace bitters is like trying to replace mother’s milk.”

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Comments


6 Archived Responses to “ No end in sight for Angostura Bitters shortage ”

  1. Ivette Rocca
    Oct 5, 2011

    Yes, Bitters cannot be replaced. There's a Peruvian Bitter "Amargo Chuncho" with a well balanced aroma and flavors extracted from the herbs, roots, barks and flowers of the amazon forest. I have tryed it with many drinks and even with ones that DO NOT call for bitters and they have been amazingly enhanced by this bitters, there can be found in the USA now in many stores and also in the internet.
    Give them a try you will be NOT disappointed. Do it better with bitters.

  2. John Dennis Kiernan
    Jan 6, 2012

    Kim, I don't want people to think I'm an old man (eeeuw!). What cocktails wd a young man go for?

  3. Karen Vaughan
    Mar 16, 2012

    You can make bitters. One part angelica root, one part organic grapefruit, orange or lime peel, one part artichoke leaf (from the plant, not the artichoke!), one part dandelion leaf, ginger to taste, then cover with brandy and let steep three weeks. Or buy the tinctures at a health food store and combine them. There are many brands of commercial bitters besides Angostura bitters. And Fernet Branca with a few slices of ginger will work as well.

  4. Roswitha Lloyd
    Mar 17, 2012

    Growing artichoke, about 12" tall so far to add to my bitters.

  5. Roswitha Lloyd
    Mar 17, 2012

    And, Angostura is gluten for for those who need this.

  6. Karen Vaughan
    Mar 18, 2012

    Which ingredient Rosie? Caramel coloring or something?