Story image for venezuela from War on the Rocks Venezuela's Bitters History and Why it Matters for your Manhattan

Your Manhattan owes a lot to Venezuela’s tumultuous history. Frankly, not just the Manhattan — the Champagne Cocktail, Vieux Carré, Singapore Sling, Pegu Club and many other classic cocktails all have one indispensible ingredient in common: Angostura Bitters. The brand and its iconic, oversized white label are well known. Less known, however, is that without Venezuela’s war for independence and subsequent political upheaval, we may never have had the delicious tincture. The story of Angostura Bitters begins with the arrival in South America of German doctor and adventurist, Johann Siegert. Seeking to join Simon Bolivar in his struggle for independence from Spain, Dr. Siegert arrived in the town of Angostura in 1820 right in the thick of Bolivar’s war. More…