A is for Angostura Bitters

What are bitters? And why is the label for a particular kind, Angostura, too big for the bottle?

Bitters are a mysterious concoction of herbs and spices used in many cocktails, a mystery far more interesting and intriguing than the Colonel's blend of seven spices. Sugar and gentian are the only two acknowledged ingredients in Angostura Bitters. The secret recipe was developed in 1824 by Dr. J G B Siegert, a Surgeon General in Simon Bolivar's Venezuelan army.

This weekend, my fiance and I went to one of our favorite bars, Maduro. Sitting at the bar--really the best place to sit in a good bar--we saw a line of different bottles of bitters, including one with blood oranges and another with peaches. Matt ordered one of their specialty cocktails that called for bitters just so we could try one of these unique bitters--all of which also had mysterious origins and ingredients. The bottles also mentioned using bitters on food. Food?

Of course, I had to try it.

Despite subscribing to every food magazine and newsletter available, I had never seen a recipe calling for bitters. Angostura's website has a whole section of recipes, including a pumpkin soup. Being inundated with squash as we are, soup seemed like the perfect choice.  So I boiled and pureed and then added a few dashes of bitters to the finished soup. To be honest, I'm not sure I could exactly taste the bitters. There was a slight herbal flavor to the soup that may have come from the bitters, but I can't be sure. I like the idea of using bitters, though. Besides, it makes everything you make much more mysterious when you include a secret ingredient.