Bitter Truth Crosses Pond From Germany To America

The recent shortage of Angostura bitters has serious cocktail buffs in a bind. This secret blend of herbs and spices, which has long outgrown its original purpose–disguising the taste of quinine in tonic–is now a key ingredient in countless cocktails.

But there's a sweet side to this bitter pill: Germany's widely regarded but hitherto rare Bitter Truth cocktail bitters are now available at U.S. retailers nationwide.

Unable to find authentic-tasting bitters in their native Munich, barmen Stephan Berg and Alexander Hauck took to handcrafting their own. They relied on old cocktail recipes, their large collection of historic bitters and their wealth of bartending experience to achieve high-quality flavors that other brands seemed to lack.

And thanks to Bitter Truth's recent partnership with U.S.-based Bittermens, you can swap Bitter Truth's "Old Time Aromatic Bitters" into your cocktail recipes (click here for some ideas) without missing a beat. Or branch out and try other intriguing flavors, like celery, orange and lemon or such exotic Bittermens variations as grapefruit and Xocolatl mole.

Angostura, who?