A better Summer accessory than flip-flops and your passport; the Spritz is the signature serve of those warmer months, and we've got the secret ingredient that’ll get this cocktail cranked up a few notches. 

The House of Angostura, based in Trinidad and Tobago, has been blending their bitters for more than 190 years. You know the bottle, with its oversized label and yellow cap; a bar without Angostura Bitters is like a kitchen without salt and pepper. While the ingredients that make up this back-bar staple have been kept a mystery, they're responsible for adding layers of complexity, intensifying the flavour of other ingredients, counteracting the harshness of acidic contents and decreasing the harshness of some spirits. Looking for a palate cleanser or an aid in digestion? It can do all that, too. That's what makes it the perfect addition to your Spritz. 

Enter: Bitters.

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We’ve popped to one of our favourite new bars in London to get the DL on how it’s done.  

Bar Liber – London

This bar is one of the newest kids on the Islington block. Owned by Stuart Hudson whose CV name-drops the likes of Milk & Honey, Sake No Hana and Hawksmoor, this bright and airy bar is here to "make wine fun again". We hadn't got the memo that wine had stopped being fun in the first place, but if this place is gonna bring the vino party, we're here for it.  As well as an ever-changing list of epic wines, a boujie cocktail that'll set you back a ton (hey, big spender!) and a vino-paired sandwich menu, they also have a sick line-up of Angostura Summer Spritzes on the menu ready to welcome you into the Indian Summer we've been promised.

Where is it? 274B St Paul's Rd, London N1 2LJ 

Hit them up on Insta: @bar_liber_ldn

Bar Liber's Angostura Summer Spritzes and how to make 'em:

Pineapple, Lime & Bitters 

3 dashes of Angostura Bitters 
20ml pineapple syrup 
15ml fresh lime juice 
Top with dry ginger ale 
  
Build into a highball glass. Fill with cubed ice. Garnish with a pineapple leaf and lime wedge. Serve with a smile 

Strawberry Fields 

3 dashes of Angostura Bitters 
20ml strawberry syrup 
10ml fresh lemon juice 
25ml Lillet Rose Vermouth 
75ml Wines of Anarchy Pet Nat 
  
Build into a wine glass. Fill with cubed ice. Garnish with a strawberry and lemon slice. Serve with a smile 

Orange Moon 

20ml Angostura Orange Bitters 
100ml Not Your Grandma’s Rose 
15ml sugar syrup 
10ml fresh lemon Juice 
Charge with Malt Coast Saison Table Beer 
  
Build into a highball glass. Fill with cubed ice. Garnish with a raspberry and orange slice. Serve with a smile 

Uno Mas – Edinburgh  

Good drinks + Good music. That's the pairing at this late-night bar in Scotland's capital, and it's a combo that has seen this joint reach some high levels of popularity since it opened back in Feb of 2020. Uno Mas means “one more” in Spanish, which makes sense cos the vibe here is enough to always convince ya to stay for another. They've got a wicked collection of cocktails on draft (we dig that speedy efficiency), but if you wanna enjoy something built up in front of you, their collection of Angostura Spritzes are worth waiting for a few extra seconds for.

Where is it? 4 Picardy Pl, Edinburgh EH1 3JT 

Hit them up on Instagram: @unomasbar

Uni Mas' Angostura Summer Spritz' and how to make 'em:

Patio Pounder 

35ml Cointreau 
70ml Sauvignon Blanc 
3 Dashes Angostura Orange Bitters 
Top with Soda 
Garnish: Mint Sprig & Orange Twist 

I like it, I love it 

50ml Malbec Rose 
30ml Yellow Chartreuse 
2 Dashes Orange Bitters 
1 Dash Angostura Bitters 
Top with Ting 
Garnish: Grapefruit Wedge & Basil leaf 

First in Flight 

20ml Gin 
15ml Maraschino 
10ml Amontillado Sherry 
2 Dashes Orange Bitters 
1 Dash Angostura Bitters  
Top with Savanna Cider  
Garnish: Rosemary & Orange Slice 

Back in the Dayz 

40ml Cocchi Americano 
20ml Bergamot Syrup  
2 Dashes Angostura Orange Bitters 
Top with Soda 
Garnish: Lemon Twist & Edible Flowers  

Pineapple Club – Birmingham  

Located in the heart of Birmingham's historic Great Western Arcade, this cocktail bar and bottleshop is a buff venue that boasts a killer selection of hand-crafted cocktails as well as a v. cool range of craft beers. It's got everything you'd want for a night out with your crew. We're talking vibey decor, neon signs calling out to be 'grammed, and a hella strong bottomless brunch game. And their Angostura cocktails? As tropical as the palm leaf printed walls. 

Where is it? Unit 16 Great Western Arcade, Birmingham B2 5HU 

Hit them up on Instagram: @pineapplebrum

Pineapple Club's Angostura Summer Spritz' and how to make 'em:

Roses Are Red? 

20ml Blueberry Koskenkorva vodka 
10ml Lanique 
15ml Jasmin syrup 
10ml lemon juice 
4 dashes Angostura Orange bitters  
Top lemonade 

To a shaker full of ice add all ingredients except the lemonade, shake and strain into a highball full of cubed ice. Top with tonic and garnish with two blueberries on a cocktail stick. 

How Low Can You Go? 

10ml Merlet Strawberry 
10ml Banane du Bresil 
5ml lemon juice 
3 dashes Angostura Bitters 
Top lemonade 

Add all ingredients except lemonade to a shaker full of ice, shake and strain into a highball full of cubed ice. Top with tonic and garnish with a strawberry on the side of the glass. 

Grandma’s Peach Tea 

30ml Rinquinquin 
15ml Angostura Amaro 
5ml lemon juice 
4 dashes Angostura Orange bitters  
Top elderflower tonic (50 ml)  

Add all ingredients except tonic into a shaker full of ice, shake and strain into a highball full of cubed ice. Top with tonic and garnish with a lemon peel.
 
 

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