Angostura Orange Bitters

Angostura Orange Bitters is a cocktail bitters, which means it is built to be measured in dashes rather than poured. The label lists the United States and Massachusetts, and the producer is Angostura. Bitters in this style are an alcohol-based infusion of citrus peel and botanical spices. Expect a concentrated bitter-orange aroma, a dry and slightly resinous bitterness, and very little sweetness. A few drops is the usual amount, so a bottle lasts a long time behind a home bar. The character to look for is orange peel rather than orange juice. Citrus bitters tend to read as zest oil and pith, with a faint warm spice underneath, and they bring brightness without adding sugar or acid. That makes them useful for cocktails that taste flat or heavy. A dash or two can lift a drink that needs aromatic lift but can't take more lemon. The classic use is in stirred, spirit-forward drinks. Two dashes in a Martini, particularly a gin Martini, add a citrus edge that sits well with juniper. A dash or two also works in an Old Fashioned, either alongside aromatic bitters or in place of them, where it pushes the drink toward orange and away from baking spice. It appears in many Manhattan variations, in a Sazerac-style drink with a rye and absinthe rinse, and in a Negroni, where a dash sharpens the orange note and rounds off the Campari. For a lighter drink, try it in a Champagne cocktail on a sugar cube, or in a gin and tonic, where two or three dashes read as a squeeze of citrus. Bitters aren't meant to be sipped on their own, and they are not a liqueur, so don't expect sweetness. To use one, add dashes to the mixing glass or directly to the serving glass before the spirit. Stir with ice for stirred drinks and strain into a chilled coupe or a rocks glass over a large cube. A few drops in soda water with ice and a twist is a simple, unsweetened non-mixed option. In the kitchen, a dash or two works in orange-forward desserts, in fruit salads, and in a vinaigrette that needs a bitter citrus note.