Bitters

Originally used as health tonics, aromatic bitters are now primarily used as favour enhancers in cocktails. Tasted alone, you'd be forgiven for thinking them odd. But when added to the right cocktail in the right proportion, they add depth and highlights to a drink much in the way soy sauce enhances Asian cooking. Spiritous bitters, on the other hand, are used both as sipping liqueurs, as dominant ingredients in cocktails, and as compliments to food. Indeed, a meal begun with a refreshingly bitter aperitive and ended with a soothingly bitter digestive is an enjoyable thing.