With Raymond Edwards Jr. as the Caribbean's first Chief Mixologist, Angostura set to mark milestone anniversary
November 17, 2023
There is a popular saying at The House of Angostura that when you do not smell the aromatics of the bitters anymore, it tells you how long you have been working there.
After 15 years at the award-winning world-renowned distillery in Trinidad & Tobago, Chief Mixologist/Chief Brand Educator Raymond Edwards Jr. can attest to that.
He however knows that scent is critical to the tasting and evaluation of spirits.
“It is not that I don’t smell them, but I have become acquainted with each botanical and their distinctive aromas,” Edwards, a former professional soccer player, said.
The first Chief Mixologist in the English-speaking Caribbean job portfolio comprises maintaining brand communication, sharing Angostura’s story with the world, rum training, conducting master classes with trade customers and doing new product development evaluations with the blending team.
While Angostura is a major rum producer in the Caribbean and the maker of carbonated soft drinks, its signature product is its bitters, including aromatic, orange and cocoa.
Angostura Bitters (Photo by Ron Fanfair)
“It is the quintessential ingredient found in bars around the world,” said Edwards. “It is the salt and pepper for bartenders and chefs. It has always been the cure and mix for all. I grew up seeing my mom and grandmother using Angostura in their marinades, sauces and teas. They would even bake with it. When granddad was suffering from an upset stomach, the bitters was his best friend.”
Angostura’s superb collection of rums includes premium, standard, flavoured and limited edition.
The brands range from the super-premium 1781 made from a selection of rums carefully chosen from the company’s vast ageing warehouses and the 1919 that is light, floral and dry to the Reserva that is a supple and luxurious rum aged in oak casks up to three years and the No.1 Bourbon and French Oak.
Edwards’ favourite is the elegant Angostura seven-year-old with maple, chocolate, honey and toffee flavours that present a rich full-bodied taste that tapers off into the classic rum finish.
“I love a more bold profile or palate when it comes to rums,” said the recreational drinker and award-winning bartender. “The seven-year-old has a robust aroma with a rich balance taste and long to medium finish. When I am not having it in a Queen’s Park Swizzle, I prefer it neat.”
Raymond Edwards Jr. (Photo contributed)
Edwards recreated the minty Queen’s Park Swizzle cocktail unveiled at the defunct Queen’s Park Hotel in Trinidad in the 1920s.
Always fascinated with the way rum is made and, more importantly, how it is enjoyed and mixed with other ingredients, he joined Angostura in 2008 after working in the food and beverage industry.
That same year, he won the Caribbean Bartender of the Year Award.
“This is the Caribbean’s Culinary Olympics,” said Edwards. “The competition was held in Miami and my winning cocktail was called ‘Jumbie’ which is the name of Machel Montano’s song that won the Road March competition in 2007. Rum, apricot, mango passion fruit, Angostura aromatic bitters are some of the flavours I combined and my garnish was a carved-out mask from the cheeks of a Julie Mango.”
While happy with his achievements, he fully grasps that one cannot get to the mountaintop without help from others.
Edwards lists his father Raymond Edwards Snr., late Courtyard by Marriott Executive Chef Raymond Joseph, Angostura executives Lawn Davis and Rahim Mohammed, Master Distiller John Georges, celebrity bartender Tony Abu Ganim and former Angostura executive Douglas Henderson as some of the people on whose shoulders he stands.
“Dad is always there with words of encouragement even though he thought I was studying to be a chef,” the 2012 Caribbean Hotel Association Hall of Fame inductee said. “Raymond Joseph held my hand and motivated me to move forward when I thought about giving up and Lawn’s new age thinking and guidance helped me move up the ladder in the organization.
“I learnt a lot from the humble John who I call ‘Rum Whisperer’, Rahim knows talent when he sees it and does everything he could to develop it, Tony made me see the world of spirits through a bigger lens and Doug taught me to be focused and pay attention to details.”
When not at The House of Angostura or busy travelling the world on business, Edwards returns to the quiet of Toco, a small fishing and farming village, where he was born and raised.
“I have a 20-acre farm where I spend most of my time when I am away from the office,” said the certified Master of World Spirits who received his training in Austria. “I love to go fishing with my dad and my son. Toco is home and will always be. It is where my navel is buried. I enjoy interacting with the people in the community who are very proud of what I have become and the journey I have chosen.”
2024 is a banner year for Angostura.
It marks the 200th anniversary since the bitters, which emerged as a medicinal remedy before transitioning to a staple cocktail ingredient, was created by Dr. Johann Siegert – a German doctor who tended troops in the Napoleonic and independence wars in Venezuela.
Dr. Johann Siegert created Angostura Bitters (Photo by Ron Fanfair)
Appointed by Simon Bolivar as Surgeon-General of the Military Hospital in Angostura, a port on the Orinoco River, the scientist experimented with tropical herbs and plants to find out if nature products could help soldiers and private citizens with stomach pain complaints.
In 1824, his secret formula – a unique blend of herbs and spices – was unveiled.
“He acquired the herbs and spices from native Indians in the Amazon and through experimentation between 1822 and 1824, came up with Angostura Bitters,” said Jeffrey Wong Sang who is a Tour Guide at Angostura.
When Siegert passed away in 1870, his sons took over the production of the bitters and, five years later, relocated to Trinidad & Tobago because of unrest in Venezuela.
Made only in the twin islands republic, Angostura Bitters has received several Royal Warrants, the first being from King George V in 1912.
The bitters, that contain a 44.7 per cent alcohol base, are easily recognizable because of the oversize labels.
“For the first order, one brother did the bottles and the other was in charge of labelling,” said Wong Sang. “There was no communication between them. By the time it was realized the label was too big, it was too late to make a change.”
The recipe, held by just five people at any time, has not changed since 1824.
In addition to producing the world’s top selling bitters, Angostura has the biggest butterfly collection in Trinidad & Tobago.
Angostura has the largest butterfly collection in the twin-islands republic (Photo by Ron Fanfair)
It was acquired in 1974 from accountant and lepidopterist Malcolm Barcant who starting collecting butterflies in 1921 and spent nearly five decades enhancing his collection from across the twin-islands republic and the world before migrating to California.
“Angostura makes their rum from molasses that come from sugar cane that attracts butterflies,” Wong Sang noted. “We thought it would make a great pairing.”
A truck unloading molasses at the Angostura sump (Photo by Ron Fanfair)
The collection in the House of Angostura located on Eastern Main Road in Laventille boasts an impressive array of 5,000 specimens, including nearly 700 local species found on the dual islands. It also has rare specimens from around the world.
Sitting on 20 acres, the House of Angostura also contains an art gallery that has a collection of over 175 pieces of original art created by celebrated local and Caribbean artists, auditorium, wine and spirits outlet, a dining room and hospitality suites.
The House of Angostura has a wide collection of artwork created by celebrated Trinidadian and Caribbean artists (Photo by Ron Fanfair)
Tours of the Angostura Museum, Barcant Butterfly Collection & Angostura Art Gallery, the Bitters Manufacturing Room that is the only place in the world where Angostura aromatic bitters are made, the Bottling Plant and the state-of-the-art rum distillery are offered Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.
Visitors can also witness how rum barrels are made and make purchases at the on-site retail shop.
Advanced bookings are required and further inquiries can be made by emailing tours@angostura.com
