My colleague Rob Kasper wrote back in January about the shortage of Angostura bitters, which he described as "a secret combination of herbs, alcohol, gentian and vegetable flavorings" that gives certain cocktails their aromatic je ne sais quoi.
The manufacturer's financial troubles were the root of the problem, Rob wrote, and the result was that Baltimore liquor stores and bars hadn't gotten deliveries of the stuff since fall.
Well, it seems the shortage is over. Dining@Large reader Hal Laurent wrote me over the weekend to report that he'd scored a bottle.
"Today, for the first time in a couple of months, I was able to buy a bottle of Angostura bitters," his e-mail said.
I asked if he'd give up his source. He gladly did so, not -- he explained -- because he's exceedingly selfless, but because a man only needs so much bitters.
"I don't need to hide my source (the Canton Safeway), as now that I have a bottle it will last for months or years.
"Besides, if the Canton Safeway has it, it must be readily available all over."
Sun photo by Barbara Haddock Taylor