Concentrated flavorings made by infusing bitter herbs, roots, spices, and botanicals in alcohol, used by the dash to add complexity to cocktails and cooking. Angostura is the archetype, but the category spans orange bitters, Peychaud’s, and countless craft varieties, each a secret recipe of botanicals. A few drops transform a drink, adding the bitter backbone that balances sweetness and the aromatic lift that makes cocktails three-dimensional. Cooks use them in marinades, fruit preparations, and even savory dishes where their complexity substitutes for longer cooking. Though alcoholic, they function as seasoning, not intoxicant. The bitters revival mirrors the cocktail renaissance itself: a rediscovery that the smallest ingredient often makes the largest difference.