Whisk Sips Video Cocktail Series featuring Angostura Bitters

Angostura Bitters contain over forty ingredients. Because of their unique blend of rare tropical herbs and spices, the recipe is a closely guarded secret. Only five people in the entire world are said to know the entire recipe in full. Developed in 1824, Angostura bitters were originally created as a stomach tonic by Dr. Johann Gottlieb Benjamin Siegert, a German Surgeon General in Simón Bolívar's Venezuelan army. It has been almost 200 years since their creation, and many people still use Angostura to soothe an upset stomach today. Eventually they became popular for use in soda water, and they were also often served with gin. Angostura won a medal at the Vienna World's Fair in 1873. Their oversized label still depicts this prestigious medal to this day. The opposite side of the label shows Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria in profile.

Today, Angostura bitters are probably the most popular cocktail bitter in the world — it'd be a challenge to find a bar or restaurant without a bottle behind the bar. Most classic whiskey cocktails use some form of aromatic bitters, and classics like the Old Fashioned and the Manhattan wouldn't be the same without them.

The "Jam-Hattan"

2 oz good rye whiskey

1 oz sweet vermouth

1 tablespoon cherry jam

2 to 3 dashes angostura aromatic bitters

1/4 teaspoon rose water

garnish with 1 or 2 Luxardo maraschino cherries, if desired

Combine the whiskey, vermouth, jam, bitters, and rose water in a cocktail shaker with plenty of ice. Be careful not to add too much rose water or it can overpower the drink. Shake until the shaker is ice cold and frosty on the outside, a good minute or so. Strain over ice into a rocks glass, and garnish with Luxardo maraschino cherries if desired.