Meinhard's Bitters
Meinhard's Bitters was created and manufactured by Dr. Teodoro Meinhard, a German-born resident of Venezuela, and the founder of Meinhard & Company. The full and exact name of Meinhard's Bitters is subject to some historical and legal question, and certainly changed over time. This brand of bitters came into existence in 1866 in Upata, Venezuela and manufacture moved in 1870 to Ciudad Bolívar (then called Angostura) Venezuela. The recipe was also licensed to Von Glahn Bros. and distributed as Caroni bitters in North America by 1893. International operations. Meinhard's bitters are documented to have  been exported to both Germany and England from Venezuela. Evidence exists of export to other destinations including the United States, Australia, Chile, Argentina, Austria, Hungary, Belgium, France, and Singapore. In 1875, Meinhard set up a branch office in Hamburg, Germany to manufacture and export his product. This office was set up at least partially in response to high Venezuelan export tariff's on liquors, and Hamburg's status as a free trade zone., and "A. F. Nagel, of Hamburg ... was the general agent for the sale in Europe of Meinhard's bitters". Alphons Libbertz was the proprietor of the Hamburg  branch, while George Pflumer of Hameln a.d. Weser is listed as another contact for sales in Germany, Austria, Hungary, and Belgium. Several records put the bitters in Australia. 19 cases of "Bolivar Bitters" were sold at auction in Melbourne in 1887, 22 cases were auctioned in Brisbane in 1891. Theodor Ripke is also listed as a trustee for "Dr Theodor Meinhard's Amargo de Bolivar" a bitters at the 1888 Melbourne Australia Exhibition. Guillermo E. Mönch of Ciudad Bolivar represented "Amargo de Ciudad Bolivar" at the 1893 World Colombian Exhibition in Chicago. Leon de la Cova, the council for Venezuela  in Philadelphia, received and exhibited for Meinhard's Bitters at the Centennial Exhibition in the United States. However any sale or distribution within the United States after an injunction served by Pennsylvania courts is unknown. A newspaper advertisement lists "Everett & Co." as the agent for Bolivar Bitters prepared by Dr. Teodoro Meinhard in Singapore in 1885. The exact time when production of Meinhard's bitter ceased operations is also unknown. After the death of founder Teodoro Meinhard and later his widow, the branch office in Hamburg became the sole manufacturer of this product. In October 1897, the German Government required  the name and label of the product be changed to read "Doctor Teodoro Meinhard's Succr" to reflect the fact the product was now manufactured by the successors of the late Dr. Meinhard. Legal history. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the history of Meinhard's Bitters is the legal battles surrounding the use of the name "Angostura Bitters". Meinhard and his distributors were involved at least three legal actions with the founder of rival bitters manufacturer Angostura bitters, Dr. Johann Gottlieb Benjamin Siegert. The Findlater case is of legal interest. The case was published in legal journals worldwide, and  is still cited in modern court cases as one of the foundations of English trademark law. In summary, Meinhard was selling his brand of bitters under the name "Angostura Bitters by Teodoro Meinhard", and was able to legally trademark the name "Angostura" in Great Britain. Siegert sued Meinhard's distributor Findlater, who was indemnified from fault in the case by Meinhard's representatives, claiming that although the name "Angostura" was not copyrighted by Siegert in Great Britain, it was in fact the name by which Siegert's brand of bitters was popularly known in that country. The court upheld Siegert 's claim to the un-copyrighted name "Angostura", creating an often cited precedent in British law. After losing the case, it is unknown exactly what name Meinhard used for his products in Great Britain. During the Centennial Exhibition of Australia, the product was identified as "Dr. Theodor Meinhard's Amargo de Bolivar" in 1888. However, later publications continued to refer to the product as "Angostura Bitters by Teodoro Meinhard".