Bitters! Taste and health come together

Bitter is an alcoholic drink combined with botanical ingredients to generate a bitter or sour taste. There are several bitter brands that were originally developed as medicine but now used as a cocktail drink.

By the name “Bitters”, the first thing came in mind is something distasteful, but no worries! Bitters are concentrated derivatives of herbs, flowers and spices.  They have been for more than 200 years for all sorts of complains from the digestive tract to general malaise.

There are brands preparing and selling this type of herbal bitter. The recipes for this type of drinks use grain alcohol and useful herbs with the goal to retain their health benefits. Most bitter companies around are dedicated towards their products realizing the importance of bitters.

Types of Bitters

Depending upon their use, organic bitters can be classified as

•    Digestive bitters – These are cooling herbs that help in the digestion process and remove any irregularities. They have favourable impact on out liver, pancreas and other digestive organs. In various South American and European countries, digestive bitter is consumed towards the end of a big meal either plain or with ice.

Some examples of digestive bitters are Angostura, Balsam, Amores Melipona, Cynar, Suze etc.

•    Cocktail bitters – These bitters you can add to your favourite cocktail for flavouring them. In US, many of these are not considered as alcohol and sold in normal supermarket.

Examples of cocktail bitters are Angostura, Betterments, and Fee Brothers etc.

Benefits of Bitters

Whether it is eating bitter taste food or taking an herbal bitter drink, the common health benefits that you can expect are

•    Less interest in sugary food

•    Easy digestion and cure of digestive problems

•    Avoid occasional  heart burn

•    Generating more amount of digestive enzymes

•    cooling of  upset stomach and reducing vomiting tendency

•    Increasing the rate of soluble vitamins like A,D,E,K

•    Regular bowl movement and avoiding constipation

•    Balanced diet

•    Maintaining blood sugar level

•    Good digestion system and healthy skin

Where to buy Bitters?

In today’s fast-food dominated world, it is a challenge to find really bitter food or drink. Even the vegetables like bitter guard are now loosing its taste due to hybridization.

A good solution is bitter taste herbal tonics or herbal bitters. Bitter products can remain good for 3-5 years after blending, depending on storage conditions.

Reputed companies collect original herbs from the nature and then after systematic testing and altering phase, decide on a recipe that is unique, inspiring and versatile. Companies are really focusing on organic bitters that are crafted from exceptional blends of certified organic herbs and roots, complimented by a few worldly exotics. But if you would like to avoid alcohol, there are also alcohol free variations available in the market.

Conclusion:

Recipes for Bitters are numerous and can be adjusted to include different herbs. Though formulas used in their factories are kept secret, many brands do not mind providing alternative recipes to the customers to mix and try.