"Angostura" - what is it? Cocktails based on Bitter "Angostura"

Not so long ago the domestic consumer of strong distillates got acquainted with a drink under the mysterious name "Angostura". What is this, our article will tell. You will learn the interesting history of Angostura, as well as how to drink this bitter concentrated tincture. Some users were lucky enough to get acquainted with rum "Angostura". Can it be classified as a bitter? This is a completely different drink, and, unfortunately, because of the same name, confusion often occurs. Bitter was first used as a medicine and contains in its composition an extract from an angostura tree (Galipaea healing). Well, rum, like any drink of this category, is made from reeds.

Bitter history

In 1824, a military doctor from Germany Johann Siegert arrived in Venezuela. He joined the rebels in their struggle for independence from Spain. The doctor noticed that many Europeans in Venezuela have gastric disorders and fever from intolerance to the tropical climate. Zigert began to seek salvation and experiment with local plants that were considered curative by local tribes. So, in 1830 a new prescription for the drug "Angostura" was born. What is it and how to apply it, the Europeans learned a little later. Initially, this medicine was prescribed for acclimatization in tropical wet heat. Then it was appreciated by passengers of ocean vessels suffering from seasickness. But the taste of medicine soon pleased the gourmets. Especially the popularity of Angostura increased in the second half of the nineteenth century, when various alcoholic cocktails came into fashion.

"Angostura" - what is it?

The composition of this bitter is quite complicated. The main ingredient is the drug galley. To remove heat and prevent a tropical fever, doctor Zigert hinted in a drink and bark of a cinchona tree. These two components give bitter bitter "Angostura". What is this quinine? Before the invention of penicillin, he was the only disinfectant medicine and a real salvage from malaria. Still in the composition of the tincture were such medicinal plants as the medicinal angelica and gentian roots. And to improve the taste and smell of medicine, the doctor included in it different spices. This is orange peel with ginger, and cinnamon with nutmeg, and cardamom with cloves. And for a pleasant smell in the drink add sandalwood flowers. All these ingredients are finely crushed and three months are insisted on alcohol. The proportions and the exact formulation are still kept secret.

Rum "Angostura"

It is necessary to pay tribute to the namesake of the legendary drug. This rum is produced in the country of Trinidad and Tobago. There is no question of an angostur tree here. Like every Caribbean rum, it is made from sugar cane. Unlike bitter, which has a rich color of tea leaves, it has a light tint. The three-year rum is generally transparent, like vodka. Only the aged drink has a caramel color with golden gleams. There is a difference between bitter and Roma in the fortress. The first has 44.7 degrees, and the second - the classic forty. And of course, two drinks are strikingly different. Produced from the juicy lower parts of the reed, the rum "Angostura" contains a lot of sugar. He has a perfectly balanced taste with shades of fruit and oak wood. And in the bouquet, you can hear notes of spices, apples and caramels.

How much is

Balm from Venezuela is not so often found on the shelves of our stores. Only occasionally it is delivered to specialized Moscow bakeries. It is worth such bitter relatively expensive - about nine hundred rubles for a small bottle of one hundred milliliters. Much cheaper than his full namesake - white rum "Angostura". The price for a 700-ml bottle is one thousand two hundred and sixty rubles. This is if the rum is aged for three years. The price of a five-year drink rises to two thousand. Naturally, the cost directly depends on the aging time. The most expensive rum brand Angostura rum 1824, matured in oak barrels twelve years, is estimated at six thousand seven hundred and thirty rubles for a bottle of 0.7 liters.

Cocktails based on bitter

Balm just does not drink. Unless you remember that bitter was once a cure for malaria and gastric indigestion. This "Angostura" in the form of rum can be sipped from the glass in its pure form, adding only a couple of ice cubes. Balsam is made with a variety of cocktails. Just a couple of drops - and the drink has a rich spicy-bitter taste. Here are the recipes in which the bitter "Angostura" is used. These cocktails usually contain some more alcohol. For example, "Diablo" is a mixture of 60 milliliters of dark rum, 15 ml of vermouth and "Cointreau" and two drops of bitter. The simplest recipe for a cocktail is Old Fashion (Old Fashioned). It is necessary to lower two cubes of refined sugar in a glass, soak them with Angostura, and pour in whiskey. Stir until the sugar is completely dissolved and add crushed ice.