10 Digestive Bitters To Enjoy After a Big Meal

Digestive bitters can be especially helpful during the holidays when big celebratory feasts are the norm and you need a little something to help you digest. Bitters taste great (assuming you like, well, bitter flavors), and they’ve been used for centuries to support digestion, soothe the digestive tract, and help with cramps, bloating, or gas. Bitters help by signaling to your taste buds to create saliva to begin the digestion process in the same way that bitter cocktails, or apéritifs like a Negroni can help to stimulate digestion when enjoyed before a meal.

Most digestive bitters are concentrated blends of different herbs, roots, and barks like dandelion root, ginger root, gentian root, and burdock root. Some might also have flavor-enhancing ingredients like orange peel or hawthorn berry. While almost anyone can use bitters for digestive support, there are specific symptoms—like bloating, gas, and low stomach acid levels—that might lead a doctor to recommend them.

Many bitters either come as a small spray bottle or with a dropper. Most give the option of either putting directly onto your tongue or adding to a neutral beverage 15 minutes before a meal to optimize efficacy, but if you forget to take them, they can be taken after a meal as well.

Below are a few of our favorite digestive bitters and how we prefer to use them, plus a few ready-to-drink canned, nonalcoholic apéritifs.

Our favorite digestive bitters:

I love the taste of digestive bitters, but I especially like that these from Owl Venice have added spearmint and peppermint essential oils for a calming mint spray. In addition to aiding digestion and soothing an upset stomach, it doesn’t hurt that these also can freshen your breath before or after a meal. It also couldn’t be easier to use—just three quick sprays into your mouth can go a long way.

This aperitif-inspired herbal tincture is my go-to when I want to make a predinner drink that also aids in digestion. The tincture comes with a dropper rather than a spray pump and the directions suggest that you either put one full dropper under your tongue before a meal or into sparkling water for a zero-proof, orange-hued drink (my preferred method).

Anima Mundi’s herbalist-formulated products always deliver and the amargo digestive bitters are no exception. This tincture has the usual suspects but also features rainforest bitter leaves like chanca piedra and barks like quassia (also known as amargo). Plus, it also promises to stimulate bile production and revitalize liver function by helping to detoxify the body. The brand recommends taking 50 drops (or ½ tsp) in water, juice, or tea before meals.

Urban Moonshine has a whole product line of bitters—citrus, healthy liver with added artichoke and fenugreek, calm tummy with chamomile and ginger, and a cider vinegar variety made without alcohol. The original formula does the trick for me and was the first digestive bitters blend I ever tried. It’s as good as it gets when it comes to traditional bitters with the usual bitter herbs and aromatic ingredients and can be taken either directly on the tongue or diluted in water.

If you want all the benefits of digestive bitters but don’t love the taste, Zoey’s Digestif is particularly cinnamon-forward and naturally sweet. The tincture boasts ginger and orange peel but also leans into the power of cinnamon cassia, cardamom pods, and hawthorn berry. I find this one goes best in hot water or tea for an especially warming digestif.

Chances are that if you’ve done any research in the herbalism space, whether by listening to a podcast or a quick Google search, you’ve stumbled across Organic Olivia. The brand preaches a modern approach to traditional herbal medicine and the founder shares her knowledge on her podcast What’s the Juice?. The juice in question here is the brand’s Digestive Juice, bitters in a spray bottle format that can support digestion both before and after meals with 6–10 sprays. The formula features some of Olivia’s favorite herbs, like angelica, meant to ignite our fire and support sluggish digestion.

BA’s commerce editor Carina Finn loves the Alpine-inspired herbal flavor of Underberg’s bitters, which was her remedy for post-feast discomfort during her previous life as a restaurant critic. “The flavor is similar to Fernet, and the single-serve bottles are tiny enough to toss in your bag for a night out—or a visit to your in-laws,” she says.

Some ready-to-drink N/A digestifs:

Hella Cocktail Co. has taken the work out of making bitters and soda with its line of nonalcoholic ready-to-drink cans. They offer their Hella Aromatic Bitters blend in three flavors—bittersweet spritz, dry aromatic, and grapefruit (my go-to)—so there’s something for every drinker. I love that these let me both enjoy a cold canned beverage while boosting my digestion before a meal.

It’s no secret to anyone that I love Ghia’s canned spritzes. They’re a frequent actor when I’m cooking at home and want a special beverage while I put on a podcast and unwind from the day. The four flavors—Ghia Soda, Ghia Ginger, Lime & Salt, and Sumac & Chili—all boast herbs and botanicals like lemon balm, gentian root, orange peel, plus individual flavorings for each variety. Each can is inherently indulgent like any aperitif, and it doesn’t hurt that they really do help soothe my stomach and put me at ease.

I’d buy Casamara Club’s leisure sodas for the bold graphic packaging alone. I was especially excited to try their newest product addition, the Superclasico, a cocktail-strength nonalcoholic drink meant to feel like a bittersweet Italian aperitivo. It gets a kick from Italian chinotto and spices like juniper, allspice, and clove. It’s bold but goes down easy enough to find a place in your weeknight rotation.