(Al Dente) - The world is a better place with bitters. Not
only are they absolutely crucial in many cocktails, bitters
can also add flavor and spice to foods, ease that overfull
feeling after dinner, and in many places are revered as a
curative for a host of aches and pains. Created with secret
recipes of herbs, spices, fruits, vegetables, and more,
until not long ago bitters had fallen from their exalted
position behind the bar (and in other spots, but especially
there). Though popular and available in multiple varieties
in the late 1800s and early 1900s, they got a little lost
in the middle-and-last-part of last century, to the point
where you were lucky if a bar had Angostura bitters. If the
bar had Angostura and Peychaud’s bitters (both never became
completely unavailable), it was a cocktail-lover’s heaven.
If the bar had more, you’d rented a time machine. But
slowly, as people realized drinks should taste good again
(well, there are many theories, but sometimes it’s best not
to question too much), bitters started making a comeback...

Continued: http://xrl.us/Bitters