German expat and surgeon general in Simon Bolivar’s army, Johann Gottlieb Benjamin Siegert originally created his eponymous bitters formula as both fuel and medicinal elixir for his fellow soldiers. Beginning their commercial sale in 1824, Siegert established his own distillery in Angostura, Venezuela by 1830. Here he continued to employ the use of both familiar European and locally available ingredients. In 1875, Angostura moved their distilling headquarters to Port of Spain, Trinidad, where it remains there today. This is the most commonly used bitters in the world, and one of only three bitters brands to survive the dark, dry days of Prohibition.

Check out our blog post for 3 Absolute Must Have Bitters for the Home Bar