So you thought that "Bitters" were some weird concoction that bar tenders added to drinks to somehow be traditional. Think again. The founders of Urban Moonshine provide a tutorial on the {history, flavors, chemistry, story} of bitters.

Bitters are concentrated herbs. Herbs are good for health for a lot of reasons - {digestion, alergies, mood, colds, flu}. Turns out that bitters were created for a reason - to enhance digestion. Back in the day (hundreds of years ago), germs were not understood. But people relised that alcohol somehow purified water. So they drank a lot of alcohol. Bitters were added to mask the off flavors of bad water. They even created a cocktail to cure hangovers - the Bloody Mary, which is essentually a drink with a lot of herbs and bitters.

By the way, bitters are no longer restricted to alcoholic drinks. They work perfectly well with water, seller, or other non-alcoholic drinks. But bitters can of course still be a nice additive to an adult beverage.

So the authors have presented a valuable guide to bitters. First of all as a educational resource. Secondly on how to make bitters, if you so desire. Thirdly on how to use bitters. Fourthly on how to employ bitters in drinkology. And lastly as a sort of bitter medicinal guide.

I decided to check out Urban Mooshine on the web. I went a head and ordered some bitters. And I am quite pleased with the results.