Dr. J Hostetter's Stomach Bitters Bottle / Sold

Dr. J Hostetters Stomach Bitters Bottle - Sold

This amber bottle measures approximately 9" tall and has a square base of 2 3/4".  IT is embossed with "DR. HOSTETTERS / STOMACH BITTERS" The bottle has a sizeable chip in the spout.  Hostetter's "Celebrated" Bitters was a nostrum developed by Dr. Jacob Hostetter of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. His son, David Hostetter, put the formula into large scale production in 1853 and it soon became a national best-seller. During the Civil War, Dr. J. Hostetter's Stomach Bitters was sold to soldiers as "a positive protective against the fatal maladies of the Southern swamps, and the poisonous tendency of the impure rivers and bayous." The original formula was about 47% alcohol -- 94 Proof! The amount of alcohol was so high that it was served in Alaskan saloons by the glass. Hostetter sweetened the alcohol with sugar to which he added a few aromatic oils (anise, coriander, etc.) and vegetable bitters (cinchona, gentian, etc.) to give it a medicinal flavor. From 1954 to 1958, when it was no longer marketed, the product was known as Hostetter Tonic.

Inventory Number: BOT 021 / Sold