Angostura bitters birthplace, Bolívar's wartime capital, and the gateway to Canaima and Angel Falls
Ciudad Bolívar sits at the Orinoco Narrows — the Angostura — where the 2,000km river constricts to 2km between rock outcrops, creating the historic river crossing and military choke point that shaped Venezuelan independence. The old city (Paseo Orinoco) is the finest stretch of 19th-century colonial riverside architecture in Venezuela — a row of brightly painted pastel buildings facing the river where terrace restaurants serve cachapa (fresh corn pancakes with cheese) and the afternoon sun turns the Orinoco copper. Ciudad Bolívar is also the standard jumping-off point for Canaima National Par…
The Angostura bitters brand that flavours cocktails worldwide has a direct connection to this city: the aromatic cocktail bitters formula was created in 1824 by Dr. Johann Gottlieb Benjamin Siegert, a German-Venezuelan physician who served as Surgeon General under Bolívar in Angostura. Siegert's formula was named after the city (Angostura) before the city itself was renamed Ciudad Bolívar in 1846. The bitters are now manufactured in Trinidad (the business moved in 1875), but the formula and name derive entirely from this riverside colonial city. The Congress of Angostura (February 15, 1819) —…