Vermouth: The Forgotten Wine
When you think of a grape-based alcoholic beverages, I’m sure wines like Chardonnay and Zinfandel are the first things that pops into your head. But the world of grape-based drinks is actually tantalizingly vast. There are brandies like cognac or armagnac, liquors like Grappa and Pisco, and fun fortified drinks like Port, but today we’re going to focus on the magical wine ingredient of the cocktail world: vermouth.
To me, vermouth seems straddles two worlds, it’s technically a wine, but most of us know it through its usage in cocktails. And in fact, it’s often forgotten entirely or simply called “the other ingredient in martinis”.
So what is vermouth? Why is it so frequently used in mixed drinks? And what are the quirks about vermouth we should know?
What it is
Vermouth is a type of aromatized fortified wine, so if we’re comparing grapes to grapes, I’d say it’s most similar to Port, which is another type of fortified wine (as we learned in our Wine Wednesday video series)
This means it is not distilled; it has a neutral grape base similar to “regular” wine, then a grape-based alcohol is added, usually brandy. But we don’t stop there, the other important aspect to vermouth is the dry-ingredient additives. The “aromatized” part of “aromatized fortified wine”. Vermouth is flavored with various botanicals and fruits, traditionally that would include additives like cinchona bark, wormwood, angelica root, orange peel, juniper, orris root, and star anise, though more recently it tends to be ingredients local to the producer. I can tell you the popular additives, but each individual vermouth recipe is a closely guarded secret of the producer; no two are exactly the same.
Now, because the base of vermouth is a neutral wine, no one is too picky about the grape varietal used. The most common, or I guess the most common traditionally speaking, are Clairette blanche, Piquepoul, Bianchetta Trevigiana, Catarratto and Trebbiano varietals. These are mostly Italian varieties as the production of vermouth - as we know it today - began in Turin, Italy.
How It Started
There actually seems to be a bit of conflicting information about how and when vermouth first started. A few resources said the first known consumption of fortified wine with added herbs and spices in China, during the Shang and Western Zhou dynasties (1250–1000 BC).
But other resources insist the beginnings stem from the 16th century Romans, who made wormwood-infused wines. And there are etymologists that say the word “vermouth” comes from the French pronunciation for the German word for wormwood, wermwut.
What we know for sure is in 1786, in Turin Italy, a merchant named Antonio Benedetto Carpano produced and sold the first sweet vermouth. This sticks out in history because his vermouth was distinct from those that came before, which had been pale, bitter, dry, and primarily used for medicinal purposes. But Carpano said, “nuh uh” to that and made his a rich, dark, sweet version which immediately became a smashing success in the royal Turin court of the day.
Not to be outdone, a French version also rose to popularity not long after this time, around 1800 or so. Produced by Joseph Noilly, this version harkened back to an earlier time; it was pale, dry, and a bit more bitter than the Italian counterpart.
Breaking It Down
And if you didn’t see that coming, that’s the story of how we came to have two very distinct types of vermouths on the market. Red vermouth, which is usually synonymous with ‘sweet vermouth’ and white vermouth, which is usually referred to as ‘dry vermouth’.
Besides their differences in origin and obvious color contrast, there are a production and general distinctions that are good to know.
Sweet Vermouth
Also called “Rosso” or “Italian” vermouth, you can see any of those terms on bottles. These are usually darker red in color (though not always - don’t be thrown off by a light colored sweet variety!) and contain 10-15% sugar. They get their color from the botanicals used, added wine, and/or caramel coloring.
Dry Vermouth
In now obvious contrast, this will also be termed “French” or “chambéry” vermouth on bottles. They are pale or slightly yellow/straw colored and contain no more than 4% sugar. Their signature bitterness comes from a heavy handed use of either nutmeg or orange peel (or both!)
White Vermouth
I wanted to call this one out separately, because they are just slightly different than French vermouths, though they share coloring. Also called “blanc” or “Bianco” on bottles, these are pale, like dry vermouths, but are slightly sweeter, though not as sweet as Rosso.
Usage
Now, if you are disinterested in this post, or are not excited about what I’m sure you can guess the Weekly Adventure will be… then sorry, but you’ve just never had good vermouth.
The difference a good vermouth can make is staggering. Just think about it - a martini is two ingredients: Gin & Vermouth. If one of those ingredients is just “meh” or from the bottom shelf, well, you’re going to be able to tell.
While they are most commonly used in cocktails nowadays, you should be able to (and want to!) drink your vermouth on the rocks with a twist of fruit as a garnish. With all those botanicals and the natural sweetness of alcohol, vermouths are deliciously complex and fun to try.
So, then, why are they used in cocktails?
Well, first is that vermouths are bottled between 16-18% ABV. While that’s higher than most other fortified wines, which are usually between 9-14%, it’s still significantly lower than your main alcohols like Gin, Vodka, or Whiskey. This means the addition of vermouth is going to lower the overall alcohol percentage of your cocktail.
Like I’ve been espousing, they also add a lovely complexity to any drink they’re added to. Dry vermouths will add a little nutty and floral herbaceous-ness to the drink, while Sweet vermouths are spicy and warm (In taste, not in temperature. Don’t warm them. Ew.)
There are so, so many cocktail recipes out there which include vermouths. As such, I won’t list many, but here are one for each Dry & Sweet.
Martini
My favorite type of martini is a wet, gin martini with a lemon twist. “Wet” vs “Dry” here refers to the amount of vermouth added, not the type of vermouth. Wet= vermouth heavy, Dry= less vermouth.
My martini recipe:
3 oz Botanist Gin
1 oz Dolin Dry Vermouth
Add to a mixing glass with ice, stir until chilled, strain into a martini glass, spritz with lemon oil from the garnish peel, garnish with the lemon peel.
Rob Roy
2 oz Scotch Whisky, a blended Scotch is best for this
1 oz Cocchi Sweet Vermouth
1 Dash Angostura bitters
Add to a mixing glass with ice, stir until chilled, strain into a coup glass, garnish with a maraschino cherry.
Final Notes
Two last interesting points I wanted to be sure to cover:
First: As I noted at the beginning, vermouth is technically a wine. This means as soon as you open it, it has started to go bad. Yes, sadly, vermouth does go bad. In order to keep it as long as possible, store it in the refrigerator, just as you would any open wine and try to use a bottle within 3-4 months.
And here is where I tell you that I just did a video about how to properly store wine! What a coin-ki-dink!
Second: In between being used for medical purposes and ingredients in delicious cocktails, vermouths was used as an aperitif. This is still a common practice in Italy today (and Italian restaurants) so don’t be surprised if you see vermouths on the menu as a ‘pre-dinner’ cocktail. Try it out! After all, “aperitif” means “to stimulate the appetite”.
Weekly Adventure
I’d like to challenge you to try vermouth this week, not in a cocktail or as an additive, but as a drink unto itself. Pour yourself a little vermouth on ice, add a twist of lemon or orange and sit back to appreciate the complexities of the drink. There’s so much going on in it that we often overlook or washout with high proof alcohols. But this week, let’s give it its due, and enjoy it just as it is.
On a personal note, the brands I like are Cocchi for a sweet vermouth, and Dolin for a dry vermouth. If you’re interested in the complex, delectable vermouths described in this article, I’d recommend trying something other than Martini & Rossi. Though they are the most common vermouth out there, and perhaps the most recognizable in the States, we can do better.
Cheers,
Molly
References
https://www.foodandwine.com/wine/everything-you-need-to-know-about-vermouth
https://www.thespruceeats.com/all-about-vermouth-760251