298072 Sat Aug 07 21:03:48 -0700 2004 14 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 1646968 What's in Angostura Bitters? Sat Aug 07 21:03:48 -0700 2004 0 Judith Hurley 1 1646970 Googling it will provide general information only, as it is a trade secret. Sat Aug 07 21:45:45 -0700 2004 1646968 0 Karl S. 2 1646981 I did google it, and saw that it was a "secret," but can they legally sell a product without listing ingredients? Sun Aug 08 00:03:45 -0700 2004 1646970 0 Judith Hurley 3 1646988 You bet. All sorts of proprietary formulations can be kept secret. Like Coke's secret formula. The FDA did recently approve some regulations that would require the identification of common food allergens, but that might get litigated before it goes into effect. Sun Aug 08 06:38:47 -0700 2004 1646981 0 Karl S. 1 1646994 The only ingredients I could find listed are "...angostura bark, gentian root, rum, and other ingredients..." possibly including "...distillations of aromatic herbs, barks, flowers, seeds, roots and plants" Sun Aug 08 09:40:58 -0700 2004 1646968 0 The Rogue 1 1647007 Didn't know it contained rum, I know it is used as a hangover cure in Ireland so maybe that's the ingredient that does the trick! Sun Aug 08 12:20:56 -0700 2004 1646968 0 coll 2 1647015 Angostura Bitters are 90 proof. Sun Aug 08 13:24:47 -0700 2004 1647007 0 The Rogue 3 1647027 Actually, the reason I was curious is that I got sick to my stomach on a long flight the other day which is unusual, I've never had motion sickness. I thought it might have been the wine, because as a rule I don't drink on planes, but I broke my rule and had wine with dinner. At any rate, they gave me club soda with bitters at the admiral's club and I felt better immediately. But they only put two or three drops of the bitters in the club soda, so I'm not sure it was much of an alcohol issue. Sun Aug 08 16:50:31 -0700 2004 1647015 0 Judith Hurley 4 1647032 Well, it might have been the effervescence of the soda that made you instantly feel better, but bitters (including Angostora) was originally developed as a curative. Sun Aug 08 18:18:57 -0700 2004 1647027 0 Caitlin McGrath 5 1647035 Bitters in general are designed to calm the stomach. The idea is that the bitter ingredient, gentian root in Angostura, stimulates the digestive system. Gentian root is also an ingredient in the soda Moxie. Sun Aug 08 19:36:03 -0700 2004 1647032 0 BGrey 6 1647094 Moxie, Moxie. Do you know of any place to buy Moxie in New York? Mon Aug 09 14:54:57 -0700 2004 1647035 0 albee 7 1647101 Easily available online, if I recall. It's in our markets here in Boston, of course.... Mon Aug 09 15:42:36 -0700 2004 1647094 0 Karl S. 7 1647134 Sadly, no. You can, indeed, get it online, but it costs a lot more than it seems like it should.... Mon Aug 09 18:50:01 -0700 2004 1647094 0 BGrey 8 1647162 My favorite soda shop (Pop Soda, located here in the Phoenix area) has it available online for 99 cents a bottle. Grab some of the Journey sodas too, while you're at it... they're very very good indeed. Link: http://store.yahoo.com/soda-pop/moxieoriginal.html Tue Aug 10 10:39:34 -0700 2004 1647134 0 JK Grence (the Cosmic Jester) 6 1647141 A few drops of Angostura bitters in my drink puts me in a good mood. A few sips of Moxie puts me in a bad mood. Mon Aug 09 20:28:27 -0700 2004 1647035 0 Caitlin McGrath