Vermouth gets a bad rap. It seems like most people, and a good number of bars, keep it around as a necessary evil. If it’s in your kitchen, it’s most likely there for cooking and it’s been open for months on the counter. This is a travesty. Vermouth is amazing and deserves some more respect.
About Vermouth
Vermouth, in its current form, originated in Turin in the late 1700s as a medicinal agent. But don’t be fooled by the Italian origins – the name is Italianized German (the Germans were making something similar with wormwood), the idea of fortifying wine with spices is actually Chinese, and the modern version took off just as quickly in France as the rest of Italy.
Unsurprisingly, the Italian and French companies still fight about who did what first (the answer is probably neither, because the Piedmontese / Savoys would have considered themselves independent at the time, but that’s a different debate altogether). While it was originally billed as medicine, it gained popularity as an apertif and later as a key ingredient to newfangled cocktails.
Vermouth is a fortified wine, meaning that the base is basically grape juice that’s had neutral spirit (think Everclear, but from grapes) added to it. Other examples of fortified wines are port, sherry, and Madeira. Vermouth is differentiated because it’s aromatised by the addition of herbs and spices while the others are just grapes and hard booze that age in wood.
The actual details of the aramotization are universally trade secrets, so there’s a great deal of mystery about exactly what’s in the bottle. It’s a bit like Dr. Pepper in that way. Like all of the fortified wines, vermouth isn’t boozy enough to stay out on the shelf and not oxidize. Put it in the fridge once you open it and don’t leave it open for months on end! I know I’ve said this already, but I’m going to keep saying it because I’m convinced this is why people think they don’t like this stuff.
Beyond these basic facts from Wikipedia, it’s actually pretty difficult to get a good history of the category. I scoured the glossary of several books on food and drink with no real details on vermouth at all. Any details usually involve the reminder to put it in the fridge after you open it or recommendations for a few specific brands. I’ve read (and really enjoyed) an entire book on the old fashioned, but I could find very little out there on vermouth. There are a few books, but I’m not sure of the quality given the low sales/review volume. If I do read one, I’ll certainly write a follow-up review.
Vermouth Profiles
Vermouth is usually referred to as either sweet or dry. These are usually interchangeable with red or white respectively. You may also see them referred to by origin as Italian or French without any other qualifiers. While all classifications are probably correct most of the time, this is quite the oversimplification that does the category a disservice.
First off: all vermouth is made with white grapes; the color comes from the other ingredients. So, as you might now expect, the color doesn’t automatically tell you all too much about the flavor in the bottle. As I mentioned, the specific ingredients used by any brand for any specific type are the “secret sauce,” so you won’t get much information by looking at an ingredients list either.
Regardless of the color or label, you can expect the following notes to exist in some combination of prominence: clove, cinnamon, citrus peel, coriander, marjoram, ginger, and juniper. I always have a hard time picking these out individually – a lot of sweet vermouth tastes like liquid oregano to me (in a good way), and each brand is significantly different.
Sweet / Rosso / Italian Vermouth
Usually, but not always, Italian in origin and probably what you think of when you think “vermouth” if you don’t order martinis or cook a lot of French food. The color comes from carmel being added to increase the sugar content to between 10-15%.
The nose is spicy, often reminiscent of mulling spices you might smell in a Christmas market. The palate is extremely bitter and closed, but the finish is usually smooth with the spices giving way to softer herbs and citrus. Galardo, Cocchi, and Carpano are widely-available and excellent examples.
Dry / White / French Vermouth
Usually, but not always, French in origin and probably what you think of when you think “vermouth” if you cook a lot of French food or love a martini. Sugar content is under 4%.
The nose is clean, like a dry white wine with sharper citrus notes. The palate is sour, almost vinegary, but the finish opens up to reveal the spices and quinine. Dolin owns this category for good reason and is available pretty much everywhere.
Semi-Sweet / Bianco / Blanc Vermouth
Very popular in France right at the start of vermouth, this variation has been relegated to playing third chair for no real reason. Pretty much a halfway-point between sweet reds and dry whites, these vermouths are much less bitter but much more sweet than the color suggests. You’ll pick up notes of vanilla and lemon here much more than in the others.
Sugar content is usually between 8-10%. Punch has a good writeup if you want to read more and see how some top bartenders have been using it. Alessio is the only brand I’ve had that I remember really enjoying.
Rose / Rosato Vermouth
Extremely popular in Spain and extremely not anywhere else, Rosatos aren’t very bitter by comparison. The palate is heavy on berry rather than citrus, and the sugar is similar to a Bianco. I’ve actually never had any of this – let me know if you have and if I’m wrong! I’ll update when I come across a bottle.
Buying Vermouth
Like most things in the world of booze, you get what you pay for. If you spend more, the product will be better (up to a point, obviously). In this case, my main recommendation is to avoid the bottom shelf. For vermouth, that means avoiding anything from Martini&Rossi. They make some excellent vermouths, but the ones in the big green bottles ain’t them.
I always buy smaller-format bottles so that I don’t waste good juice due to oxidation. It’s more expensive by volume, but if you’re going through a full 750ml of good vermouth every month or so you’re doing something better than me…
Key Drinks to Make
The classic vermouth drinks are essentially all riffs on a martini – you mix a little vermouth with a spirit, stir til it’s cold, then serve it neat with a garnish. The three drinks below are all excellent and good archetypes to start with to get an understanding of how these flavors work.
I’m using…
Dry Vermouth: Dolin Dry
Rye: Dickel Rye
Sweet Vermouth: Carpano Antica
Scotch: Talisker Skye
Gin Martini
Attempted to be made famous by fancy bartenders and instead made famous by James Bond, this is probably the most classic cocktail in existence. There are endless debates about the right ratios to use, the most appropriate garnish, and the best prep method. All have merits, and the best way to do it is the way you like it best.
No matter how you make it, you’ll love the floral nose of the drink and enjoy getting kicked in the face with an incredibly dry liquid when you sip it.
I will say, though, that Bond orders them shaken so that there’s less booze in the drink, not because it’s actually cooler to order it that way. If you’re not an international man of mystery trying to keep your whits about you, then stir the damn drink. Shaking it will mute the flavor significantly.
Perfect Manhattan
“Perfect” when referring to vermouth drinks means you use an equal amount of sweet and dry vermouth, and that’s it. I actually prefer a Manhattan with only sweet vermouth, but that wouldn’t be technically perfect…
The spice of the rye works well to combat the sweetness of the vermouth, and you’ll taste the notes of just about all the ingredients independently here. The Perfect Ratio dries out the drink nicely and brings the spice up front. The nose is very dry and complicated, but the actual taste is much more approachable.
Rob Roy
A sweet and smokey variation on the classic Manhattan. The nose of the scotch overpowers the vermouth, but then on the palate the smoothness of the vermouth takes over and mellows the smoke.
To me, this drink is like drinking scotch without any of the bite or burn. Depending on your taste, that’s either awesome or awful.
Other Things to Do with Vermouth
Have some extra dry vermouth laying around? Make french onion soup or marinate some chicken! Anything else? Pour it over ice and drink it straight instead of having a glass of wine before dinner. Add some soda to make it last longer if you’d like.
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