Definition

1. Noun:
   • A medicinal bark: Angostura is the aromatic, bitter bark of a South American evergreen tree (Galipea officinalis, family Rutaceae). It is used as a flavoring agent and for its medicinal properties.

Usage

• Angostura is primarily used as a key ingredient in beverages, medicines, and bitters due to its distinctive bitter flavor and aromatic qualities.
• It is most famously associated with Angostura bitters, a concentrated preparation used in cocktails.

Examples

• Noun:
  • The classic recipe for a Pink Gin calls for a dash of angostura.
  • The angostura bark is harvested, dried, and then infused in alcohol to make the bitters.
  • Some traditional remedies use angostura for its supposed digestive and febrifuge (fever-reducing) properties.

Advanced Usage

• "Angostura bitters": A proprietary brand of bitters, originally containing angostura bark, used as a flavoring in cocktails and food. While the modern product may not contain the original bark, the name persists.
  • A Manhattan cocktail is incomplete without a few dashes of Angostura bitters.

Variants and Related Words

• Angostura bark: Another term for angostura, specifying it is the bark of the tree.
• Angostura bitters (noun phrase): The commercially prepared flavoring agent.

Synonyms

• Bitter bark: A descriptive synonym highlighting its taste and form.
• Cusparia bark: An older, less common botanical name for angostura bark.

Notes on Meaning

• The word "angostura" is almost exclusively used in the context of botany, pharmacology, and mixology. It is not a common everyday word.
• It is important to distinguish the general term angostura (the bark) from the trademarked product Angostura bitters.

Noun

1. the bitter bark of a South American tree; used in medicines and liqueurs and bitters