How Trinidadian Angostura Bitters Outsmarted U.S. Prohibition

During the height of Prohibition in the United States, when alcohol was banned nationwide from 1920 to 1933, one tavern owner discovered an unusual way to keep serving customers. Tom Nelsen, owner of Nelsen’s Hall on Washington Island, Wisconsin, took advantage of a legal loophole involving Angostura bitters, the iconic product made in Trinidad and Tobago.

Although Angostura bitters contains nearly 45 percent alcohol, it was classified as a medicinal tonic rather than a liquor. Recognizing an opportunity, Nelsen obtained a pharmacy license and began serving straight shots of bitters to customers who claimed they were treating digestive ailments. The creative workaround allowed his establishment to remain open throughout the Prohibition era while many other bars across the country were forced to shut their doors.

More than a century later, Nelsen’s Hall continues to attract visitors from around the world. The tavern is recognized as Wisconsin’s oldest continuously operating bar, having never closed its doors during Prohibition. One of its most popular traditions is the famous Bitters Club, where guests earn membership by swallowing a shot of Angostura bitters and signing their names in the club’s official ledger.

The tradition has become so popular that this small island community, home to only a few hundred residents, is considered one of the largest consumers of Angostura bitters anywhere in the world. The connection has created an unlikely cultural bridge between Trinidad and Tobago and a remote island in Wisconsin.

What began as a clever response to restrictive laws has evolved into a celebrated piece of American history. Today, the story of Nelsen’s Hall stands as a reminder of the inventive ways people adapted during Prohibition and how a small bottle of Trinidadian bitters helped preserve a tavern that remains famous more than 100 years later.

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