House of Angostura
Encyclopedia
The House of Angostura is a Trinidad and Tobago
company famous for the production of angostura bitters
, invented by the company's founder. The company is also a distiller and is the major producer of rum
in Trinidad and Tobago. The company also has been used as a vehicle for international expansion by its parent company, CL Financial
. As a result of these acquisitions, the company owns distillers in the United States
, Canada
, The Bahamas and Suriname
.
by a German doctor, Johann Gottlieb Benjamin Siegert, Surgeon-General in Simon Bolivar
's army in Venezuela
. Around 1820 he tried to find a medicine
to improve appetite
and digestive
well-being of the soldiers.
In 1830, Dr. Siegert exported his unique aromatic bitters to England
and Trinidad. By 1850, he had resigned his commission in the Venezuelan army to concentrate on the manufacture of his bitters, since by then demand had leapt ahead of supply. In 1862 the product was exhibited and sampled in London
, to great approval. Upon his passing in 1870, Dr. Siegert left the care of the company to his younger brother and son, who subsequently moved it to Port of Spain
, Trinidad six years later in 1876.
Over the course of time, angostura bitters and Dr. Siegert's company alone became purveyor
to the King of Prussia
, Spain
, and King George V
. Today, angostura bitters are also produced by various other vendors, some of which add the bark
of the angostura tree (Angostura trifoliata
). Angostura bitters are a key ingredient in many cocktails, for example in pink gin
and the Manhattan. Angostura brand bitters do not contain any angostura bark. There are several other companies that make bitters containing this bark, notably Fee Brothers
and Riemerschmid.
The word "Angostura" (lit. "Narrows") is the founding name of Ciudad Bolívar (Bolivar City) along the narrows of Venezuela's Orinoco
River where Dr. Siegert was based. It was an important trading town with river access to the sea.
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is an archipelagic state in the southern Caribbean, lying just off the coast of northeastern Venezuela and south of Grenada in the Lesser Antilles...
company famous for the production of angostura bitters
Angostura bitters
Angostura bitters, often simply referred to as angostura, is a concentrated bitters made of water, 44.7% alcohol, gentian root, and vegetable flavoring extracts by House of Angostura in Trinidad and Tobago. They are typically used for flavoring beverages, or food...
, invented by the company's founder. The company is also a distiller and is the major producer of rum
Rum
Rum is a distilled alcoholic beverage made from sugarcane by-products such as molasses, or directly from sugarcane juice, by a process of fermentation and distillation. The distillate, a clear liquid, is then usually aged in oak barrels...
in Trinidad and Tobago. The company also has been used as a vehicle for international expansion by its parent company, CL Financial
CL Financial
CL Financial – before its financial breakdown that became evident after a liquidity crisis and government intervention in 2009 – was the largest privately held conglomerate in Trinidad and Tobago and one of the largest privately held corporations in the entire Caribbean...
. As a result of these acquisitions, the company owns distillers in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, The Bahamas and Suriname
Suriname
Suriname , officially the Republic of Suriname , is a country in northern South America. It borders French Guiana to the east, Guyana to the west, Brazil to the south, and on the north by the Atlantic Ocean. Suriname was a former colony of the British and of the Dutch, and was previously known as...
.
History
The company was founded around 1830 in Ciudad BolívarCiudad Bolívar
Ciudad Bolívar is the capital of Venezuela's southeastern Bolivar State. It was founded with the name Angostura in 1764, renamed in 1846, and, as of 2010, had an estimated population of 350,691....
by a German doctor, Johann Gottlieb Benjamin Siegert, Surgeon-General in Simon Bolivar
Simón Bolívar
Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios Ponte y Yeiter, commonly known as Simón Bolívar was a Venezuelan military and political leader...
's army in Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
. Around 1820 he tried to find a medicine
Medicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
to improve appetite
Appetite
The appetite is the desire to eat food, felt as hunger. Appetite exists in all higher life-forms, and serves to regulate adequate energy intake to maintain metabolic needs. It is regulated by a close interplay between the digestive tract, adipose tissue and the brain. Decreased desire to eat is...
and digestive
Digestion
Digestion is the mechanical and chemical breakdown of food into smaller components that are more easily absorbed into a blood stream, for instance. Digestion is a form of catabolism: a breakdown of large food molecules to smaller ones....
well-being of the soldiers.
In 1830, Dr. Siegert exported his unique aromatic bitters to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and Trinidad. By 1850, he had resigned his commission in the Venezuelan army to concentrate on the manufacture of his bitters, since by then demand had leapt ahead of supply. In 1862 the product was exhibited and sampled in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, to great approval. Upon his passing in 1870, Dr. Siegert left the care of the company to his younger brother and son, who subsequently moved it to Port of Spain
Port of Spain
Port of Spain, also written as Port-of-Spain, is the capital of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and the country's third-largest municipality, after San Fernando and Chaguanas. The city has a municipal population of 49,031 , a metropolitan population of 128,026 and a transient daily population...
, Trinidad six years later in 1876.
Over the course of time, angostura bitters and Dr. Siegert's company alone became purveyor
Royal Warrant
Royal warrants of appointment have been issued for centuries to those who supply goods or services to a royal court or certain royal personages. The warrant enables the supplier to advertise the fact that they supply to the royal family, so lending prestige to the supplier...
to the King of Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, and King George V
George V of the United Kingdom
George V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936....
. Today, angostura bitters are also produced by various other vendors, some of which add the bark
Bark
Bark is the outermost layers of stems and roots of woody plants. Plants with bark include trees, woody vines and shrubs. Bark refers to all the tissues outside of the vascular cambium and is a nontechnical term. It overlays the wood and consists of the inner bark and the outer bark. The inner...
of the angostura tree (Angostura trifoliata
Angostura trifoliata
Angostura trifoliata is a medicinal plant native to South America. Its bark is commonly misconstrued as being used in Angostura brand bitters which is named after the town in Venezuela....
). Angostura bitters are a key ingredient in many cocktails, for example in pink gin
Pink Gin
Pink Gin is a cocktail made fashionable in the United Kingdom in the mid-19th century, consisting of Plymouth gin and a dash of 'pink' Angostura bitters, a dark red extract of gentian and spices, known from the 1820s at Angostura, Venezuela but now made in Trinidad and Tobago...
and the Manhattan. Angostura brand bitters do not contain any angostura bark. There are several other companies that make bitters containing this bark, notably Fee Brothers
Fee Brothers
Fee Brothers, also known as "The House of Fee by the Genesee since eighteen hundred and sixty-three", is a four generation old manufacturer of cocktail mixes, bitters, flavoring syrups, iced cappuccino mix and other beverage ingredients. The company is currently run by Jack Fee and his children...
and Riemerschmid.
The word "Angostura" (lit. "Narrows") is the founding name of Ciudad Bolívar (Bolivar City) along the narrows of Venezuela's Orinoco
Orinoco
The Orinoco is one of the longest rivers in South America at . Its drainage basin, sometimes called the Orinoquia, covers , with 76.3% of it in Venezuela and the remainder in Colombia...
River where Dr. Siegert was based. It was an important trading town with river access to the sea.