Angostura Bitters · Story 05 / 08
How do you
celebrate an icon?
Two centuries.
Still something new to discover.
The 200-year anniversary connected two opportunities: a celebration built to travel across markets, and a premium Reserve bitters expression that gave the milestone a place in the glass.
A shared history. A global invitation. A new reason to reach for Angostura.
01 / The 200-year campaign
How do you turn history
into an invitation?
The anniversary campaign brought Angostura’s past into a celebration people could join. Archive details, vivid colour and cocktail photography created a visual world with both heritage and energy.
“Toasting to 200 years and beyond” gave the campaign a shared invitation, connecting the milestone with sociability, storytelling and the next occasion.
The creative idea
Put the archive
back to work.
Digitised details from old labels, campaigns and photographs became a flexible collage. Paper textures kept a connection to their printed origins; fresh cocktail imagery brought the story into the present.
The copy used a numerical countdown, moving from the scale of the brand’s influence to its smallest, most recognisable gesture: one dash.
A commemorative emblem held the system together, with the butterfly, anniversary dates and House of Angostura name forming a shared signature.
A campaign built to travel
One celebration.
Room for every market.
Bitters orange, rum red and a combined teal gave different parts of the portfolio a place within the same campaign. The toolkit set common rules while leaving room for local formats, venues and production needs.
That system extended across banners, invitations, coasters, menus, email, presentations and event environments.
02 / Limited-edition Reserve bitters
What does 200 years
of experience taste like?
The milestone also created an opportunity for a premium expression alongside the aromatic bitters people already knew. Reserve brought flavour exploration, craftsmanship and a special presentation into one proposition.
The toolkit described an aged-rum blend with Roman wormwood, angelica root and nutmeg, with notes of cardamom, orange and earthiness. A new expression for bartenders, curious home cocktail-makers and culinary enthusiasts to explore.
The product opportunity
A new place
in the range.
Reserve was positioned alongside the trusted original, with a distinctive flavour profile and a premium presentation. Heritage gave the proposition credibility; discovery gave it a fresh reason to exist.
The audience insight
Win the bartender.
Open the conversation.
Bar-professional research showed strong interest in Roman wormwood and angelica root. That response supported a proposed introduction through bars and restaurants, where signature serves and bartender recommendation could demonstrate the difference.
The experience
Make the value
visible.
Black and gold styling, a keepsake storybook box and a clear product narrative expressed the premium position. The proposition had to feel distinctive from first sight to the finished drink.
The campaign platform
Add a dash
of experience.
The product story connected history with use. A family of messages moved between the anniversary, the new blend and the drinks it could help create: a story in every dash.
From the story to the serve
Give the idea
somewhere to go.
The US toolkit connected social and digital messaging with point of sale, outdoor and trade advertising, merchandise and a trade presenter.
Signature serves, including Classique and VIP Paloma, made the flavour proposition practical. The same brand story could introduce the bottle, support a bartender’s recommendation and invite the first taste.
Selected campaign artwork, packaging visuals and application mock-ups from the 200th Anniversary Campaign Toolkit and Reserve Bitters Marketing Toolkit.
How the brand travels
Two centuries behind it.
New places to go.
An anniversary can give a global brand a shared moment, a new product story and practical ways to bring both into people’s lives.
The campaign made the history adaptable across markets. Reserve gave that history a new expression to discover. Together, they connected a familiar icon with fresh reasons to choose it.
A project. A new chapter. A conversation.
What could we
build next?
A brand ready for its next chapter. A business with bigger ambitions. A team looking for creative and marketing leadership.