Angostura is a concentrated bitters made with herbs and spices. It was developed in 1824, when a German doctor Johann Gottlieb Benjamin Siegert, who was a surgeon general for Simón Bolívar, used a secret blend of botanicals, including angelica, cinchona, ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, and orange peel, to create a curative tonic.

The drink was an instant success and was later mainly used as a flavor enhancement because of the fairly high alcohol content of 44.7%. Due to political turmoil, Siegert relocated his company from Venezuelan city of Angostura (Ciudad Bolivar) to Trinidad and Tobago, where it still operates.