Khoosh Tonic Bitters

Defunct, proprietary British aromatic bitters used in American bars in England and Europe during and after American Prohibition, called for in cocktail recipe guides of the period, most notably The Cafe Royal Cocktail Book. Never a U.S. import. The glossary of the 1937 UKBG Approved Cocktails book simply describes it as “very bitter; pale yellow in colour”. Adam Elmegirab has acquired samples and adds, “Nose: the first thing that springs to mind is rum and raisin ice cream, but there’s also notes of Coffee Creme chocolates and a little spice. Very similar to dark rum. Palate: Intensely bitter and sharp, an initial hit of sweet sherry and citrus moves into coffee fudge, hazelnut and bitter dark chocolate. Finish: Long and warming with bitter coffee dominating hints of sherry and oak.” Aromatic bitters is a category for the defining ingredient of the “Cocktail”: a concentrated bitter tincture of herbs, spices, fruit, and spirits, with origins in 18th Century patent medicine. Deemed too bitter to be consumed by themselves, they are normally applied to any beverage in dashes or small fractions of an ounce or milliliter. Though containing alcohol up to 80 proof, manufacture was allowed without restriction even during Prohibition because the bitterness was such that the Internal Revenue Service—which administered compliance with the National Prohibition Act—termed it “non-potable alcohol” i.e., too bitter to consume straight. The products in this category begin with Angostura Bitters—the lone surviving example from the era and by far the most popular cocktail ingredient of all time. Alongside it are historically important products Peychaud’s (extant), Boker’s (extinct), Abbott’s (extinct), and various immitations and recreations of the same. Also included are a smattering of novel bitters with their own characters that are still close enough to Angostura in performance to qualify as legitimate substitutions. Your mileage may vary, except with Angostura Bitters, which remains the infallible standard.