Patty Loew:
A bit of trivia now, what do Washington Island and the island of Trinidad in the Caribbean have in common? Good question. It has to do with a world record that has island visitors saying, I'll drink to that, in Door County.

Patty Loew:
The folks of Washington Island can boast about many things. Like their majestic Norwegian Stavekirke, their golden fields of island wheat, and the oldest continuously operating bar in Wisconsin. This is historic Nelsen's Hall.

Bartender:
44.6% alcohol.

Robin Ditello:
Back in 1899, this used to be the town hall. This used to be the dentist office. They had a movie theater in here. It was just a gathering of the people that lived on the island.

Patty Loew:
Today it's where co-owners Robin Ditello and Doug Delaporte make sure the guests party to the bitter end. And the secret to their success is in this bottle.

Doug Delaporte:
Our claim to fame is, number one the bitters.

Bartender:
We sell the most bitters out of any other bard in the world. We’re in the Guinness Book of World Records for that, we have over 10,000 people joining the club each year.

Woman:
I can't wait.

Robin Ditello:
Nelson’s was established in 1899. Tom Nelsen, the original owner, brought bitters with him. He was Danish, and he liked the taste of it and drank a pint of bitters a day.

Patty Loew:
Today Nelsen's is the world headquarters for the bitters club. Locals still come here, but it’s also a draw for tourists. And in this pub, there is a technique to drinking bitters.

Robin Ditello:
Don't smell it, sip it and don't spill it.

Patty Loew:
Let's see how Deanna Buckingham does. She’s a first time bitters boozer. It pours easy and goes down -- well, her face says it all.

Deanna Buckingham:
It was horrid, absolutely horrid. Tears in my eyes, burning in my stomach.

Patty Loew:
They say it tastes like cloves. Or maybe a bit spicy. But that taste has not stopped visitors from pounding shots at Wisconsin's oldest tavern for more than 110 years. Not even prohibition could stop Tom Nelsen’s saloon from importing the bitters from Trinidad.

Kelly Zorn:
And he found out that the Angus sort of bitters, which was originally produced as a stomach tonic, is 90 proof, you needed a pharmaceutical license to sell it. So he went down to Door County and got the pharmaceutical license.

Patty Loew:
Nelsen's bitters bar had just found a way to beat prohibition from 1919 to 1933. But not without a fight.

Robin Ditello:
Some of the older gentlemen on the island have told me the feds did come in to Nelsen's to shut them down. He had to go to court quite a few times.

Doug Delaporte:
So he went to court, and his lawyer actually took a bottle of bitters, two quarts, poured a shot for the judge. The judge drank it and said, case dismissed, there is no way anybody would drink this for recreational purposes. Has to be medicinal.

Robin Ditello:
It settles your stomach.

Doug Delaporte:
It cures flatulence.

Robin Ditello:
Cures hiccups.

Doug Delaporte
If I have a cold coming on, I'll do a couple shots. You feel better.

Patty Loew:
On the label for Angustora Aromatic Bitters, it clearly says, this product is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease, and has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. So when prohibition ended they devised a new hook to keep firing shots of this bitter concoction.

Doug Delaporte:
So when Gunner took the bar over.

Patty Loew:
Gunner is the nephew of Tom Nelsen, the original owner.

Doug Delaporte:
He started the bitters club where you take a shot, get your card and sign the book. From 1953 or 1954. We go through about 10,000 bitters cards, probably 50 cases of bitters a year.

Patty Loew:
Selling more bitters than any other bar in the world, the bitters club is a Washington Island tradition.

Deanna Buckingham:
I knew I had to do it for the family honor. Once and done.

Patty Loew:
It costs $3.75 for your shot of bitters and membership in the club. The biting bitters from Trinidad, however, are not that unique. In fact, bitters are a staple in every bar and are used in cocktails like old fashions, and  manhattans.