A bitter aromatic bark from a South American tree, used in medicines and to flavor beverages like bitters.
From Angostura, a city in Venezuela where the bark was originally harvested and exported. The Spanish city name comes from the Angostura Strait. The word entered English through trade in the 18th century.
Angostura bitters are still a bartender's secret weapon—that 'mystery flavor' in your grandma's old fashioned comes from this Venezuelan tree bark! It's one of the few ingredients that actually has a city named after it because of international commerce.
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