Vermouth
Vermouth is a fortified wine, available in various red and white varieties (made from the respective type of wine). You will also find sweet and dry vermouths, amber vermouth, and rosé vermouth on the market. Vermouth is fortified with a neutral spirit and then flavored with various botanicals, herbs, and spices, notably the wormwood plant which is also used in absinthe. Some brands add the ingredients to the spirt and redistill it before adding the wine, others add the ingredients to the wine first, and othersstill add them to the blended wine and spirit. Some sugar or other sweetener is typically the final addition. The drink originated in Turin in the second half of the 18th century and this part of northern Italy is still its stronghold. The second-biggest consumer of vermouth is France, but it is also made and enjoyed elsewhere including the U.S. and UK. In Italy and Spain, vermouth is commonly drunk as an aperitif, although the rest of the world knows it primarily as an ingredient in classic cocktails such as the Negroni, Martini, Vesper, and Manhattan.
Top Vermouth Posts:
How Long Does Vermouth Last?
Carpano Antica Formula Vermouth
Noilly Prat Dry Vermouth – New Recipe 2009
There’s a third (and while it’s not new, it’s the newest) member of the Lillet aromatic wine family: Lillet Rose, which rides the line between the crisp Lillet Blanc and the dark red Lillet Rouge. Lillet Rose is a moderate pink in hue, and it fits right in between these two classic apertif wines. Made…
The company that makes Punt e Mes and Carpano Antica also makes some more pedestrian vermouths, including these two white styles — both made from ancient, secret recipes. Let’s try both! Carpano Dry Vermouth – Classically dry, sourly winey nose, with notes of dried, savory herbs (absinthe notes are described in the tasting notes, but…
This line of French artisanal vermouths is newly available in the United States. Fans of the aromatic wine, be it straight up or in cocktails, should definitely pick up a bottle or two or three. This is a modern style of vermouth, complex and a bit avant garde in its production. La Quintinye is made…
Cola brown in color and dense with flavor, the venerable Punt e Mes is pretty much at the end of the line in the world of sweet vermouth. As brand owner Branca puts it, “The story goes that back in 1870 a stock broker, caught up in a debate with a few colleagues at Bottega Carpano,…
Tempus Fugit Spirits has turned to vermouth for its latest products, importing from Italy a pair of fortified, aromatic wines: Alessio Vermouth di Torino Rosso and Alessio Vermouth Chinato, both “inspired by a true ‘Renaissance man,’ Alessio Piemontese.” These vermouths are both produced in a considerably more bitter style than the typical Italian or sweet vermouth…
Carpano’s Antica Formula vermouth is the first lady of aromatic wines. In a world where most vermouth runs under $10 for a bottle and is tossed out during clean-up from last night’s party, the $30 or more you’ll pay for a liter of Antica Formula indicates at least someone thinks pretty highly of it. The heritage…
Drinkhacker pal Duggan McDonnell — of Encanto Pisco fame — is up to some new tricks. His latest project: Jardesca, a lightly fortified, aromatic wine. Esseentially part of the vermouth/Lillet category, Jardesca is a blend of sweet and dry wines plus a double-distilled eau de vie that is infused with 10 different botanicals. The big…
Vermouth is a beverage on the return, and Anchor Distilling has joined forces with old Maurin (you’ve seen the iconic green devil posters at better French cafes in your neighborhood) to recreate the vermouths once made by Auguste Maurin, back in 1884. The two companies adapted Maurin’s traditional recipe for these new vermouths, which are…
Ladies and gentlemen, we now have a new kind of vermouth to contend with. Joining Dry, Sweet, and the rarely-seen Bianco, Martini & Rossi has launched another expression: Rosato. Rosato falls somewhere between the red and white spectrum — indeed it’s a blend of red and white wines, plus a lot of spice. The pink…
People agonize over what brand gin or vodka to use in their martini, but precious little thought tends to go into the selection of vermouth. Today I’ve done something most would deem unthinkable: Drink vermouth straight. Why? Because Noilly Prat, the French maker of one of the world’s best-selling brands of vermouth, is changing its…