Bitters
/ˈbɪtərz/noun
A concentrated alcoholic flavoring made from bitter herbs, spices, bark, or other botanicals, used in drinks and medicines.
Did you know?Long before cocktail bitters became fashionable, bitter botanical preparations were sold as medicinal tonics and digestive remedies by apothecaries.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*bheid-
“To split or cleave; a reconstructed root traditionally connected with the Germanic bitter family.”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*bitraz
“Biting or sharply bitter.”
Old English
Old English
biter
“Biting, sharp, or bitter in taste.”
Middle English
Middle English
bitter
“Bitter or intensely unpleasant to taste; later extended to emotional harshness.”
Early Modern English
English
bitters
“A plural expression for bitter medicinal preparations made from botanical ingredients.”
18th–19th Century
English
bitters
“A commercial herbal alcoholic extract used as a tonic and, increasingly, as a flavoring in mixed drinks.”
Modern English
English
bitters
“Concentrated botanical flavoring added by the dash to cocktails and other beverages.”