All About Vermouth Straight Up Cocktails and Spirits

Taking its name from the German word “Wermut,” meaning wormwood, vermouth is an aromatic fortified wine flavored with herbs, roots, bark, flowers and other botanicals. It comes in two basic styles: sweet and dry, each with different cocktail uses.

Sweet Vermouth (aka Italian vermouth, red vermouth, vermouth rosso) The earliest commercial vermouths came out of late 18th Century Italy (Martini & Rossi was a famous maker of the time who's still a giant in the market today), and for that reason any sweet, red vermouth made in this tradition now (regardless of its country of origin) is known as “Italian vermouth."
Cocktail Uses: Manhattans, Rob Roys, Negronis, Bronxes, Americanos, and others

Dry Vermouth (aka French vermouth, white vermouth, vermouth secco) In the early 19th Century, French winemaker, Joseph Noilly, arrived on the scene with his own style of vermouth, which was pale in color and much drier. Noilly Prat is still a leading maker of this style of aromatic fortified wine, which is still referred to as “French vermouth” regardless of where it was made.
Cocktail Uses: Martinis, Gibsons, Algonquins, Bronxes, and others

Vermouth as an Aperitif

Of course, vermouth isn't just for mixing. Both sweet and dry vermouth can be enjoyed on their own over ice as an aperitif. (A mixture of half dry, half sweet is especially good.) A twist or slice of lemon or orange makes a nice addition to the mix.

How to Store

Unlike the sturdier, higher-proof spirits in your home bar, vermouth has a limited shelf life. Because its alcohol content is relatively low (18 percent), vermouth will begin to oxidize once it's been exposed to air, and its flavor will go off over time. To keep this aromatic fortified wine tasting its very best, store opened bottles in the fridge for no longer than a month or two. (Confession: we've been known to keep vermouth considerably longer than this, but have since resolved to pass over the econo-sized bottles at the liquor store and reach for the 375ml minis instead.)

Wet or Dry Martinis: Just How Much Vermouth Should You Pour?

When people talk about “wet” or “dry” Martinis, they’re referring to the amount of vermouth added to the mix. And this amount has long been the subject of barroom debate.

Early Martinis were definitely on the wetter side (recipes from the 1900s call for equal parts vermouth and gin!).

On the other end of the spectrum, Winston Churchill preferred his drinks considerably drier. The politician was famously said to have made his Martinis by pouring some gin into a cocktail pitcher and “glancing briefly at a bottle of vermouth” across the room.

Bottom line? It's all a matter of taste.

(Images: Nora Maynard)

-Nora

Anything we cook with mushrooms gets a hit of Noilly Prat in the reduction. It's pretty much my standard white cooking wine.

posted by cakekick on February 6th 2009 at 11:21am
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I also add generous splash of sweet Vermouth to make creamy tomato sauce, which adds depth of flavor to otherwise a simple pasta sauce.

posted by J-Dubz on February 6th 2009 at 11:33am
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I bought a big bottle of red vermouth a couple of weeks back for that creamy shrimp pasta sauce. I'm glad to know that I should be trying to use up the remainders.

posted by Michelle of Montreal on February 6th 2009 at 12:21pm
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I love keeping Vermouth around for martinis and cooking. I think it's a great substitute for any dish we would usually use white wine for (I think it is a Nigella Lawson tip). I add a cup or so to the pan after browning bacon or pancetta for Spaghetti all Carbonara, then reduce the vermouth into a bacony syrup. Gorgeous.

I had no idea about the shelf life though, best use it up soon!

posted by missbrise on February 6th 2009 at 1:10pm
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I use dry vermouth for cooking, as well. It stays around longer than the white wine that I will inevitably drink, then curse myself when I don't have any for cooking!

posted by catlike on February 6th 2009 at 1:30pm
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I have some very bad news about Noilly Prat. Although it has been the premier Martini vermouth, they are changing the formula to make it sweeter---think Lillet. So Martini drinkers are cast into the wilderness.

posted by Leisureguy on February 6th 2009 at 1:35pm
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Michelle of Montreal,

I'm so glad to hear that you've tried that creamy pasta recipe. Hope you enjoyed it! :)

posted by J-Dubz on February 6th 2009 at 1:44pm
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Leisureguy--I heard about that! Apparently Noilly Prat's going to be substituting the European formula (usually drunk as an aperitif) for the American one we're so familiar with sometime soon. I haven't tried the European type yet, but am curious. Has anyone sampled it in a martini?

posted by nora on February 6th 2009 at 2:38pm
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Noilly Prat is decent but certainly not top shelf - more middle shelf. (Martini and Rossi dry vermouth is way on the bottom shelf - like right over there, yeah there, where the trash can is.)

If you want a good vermouth - dry, medicinal, with a nice wine-y taste, try Dolin, its a small independent producer of Vermouth de Chambery in the French Alps. Its often considered the best French vermouth on the market. (they also make rouge and blanc) Domestically, there's a brand called Vya, a California winemaker that also makes an outstanding vermouth (dry and sweet). Different than Dolin, but equal in quality.

If you want a really good sweet vermouth, I would recommend Carpano Antica - sweet, herbal, medicinal. Another is Punt y Mes - although Punt y Mes is really more like a cross between a sweet vermouth and an amaro (like Fernet.) It is - however - crazy good in a Manhattan.

None of these above are cheap - a small bottle will run you $15-$18, a larger one around $25. But its worth it.

Also, a note of correction. While most people think of a "dry" martini is one with less vermouth to the point where you just add a few drops, most people (or I should say, most bartenders) are totally ignorant of proper cocktail history. Or how to make a balanced cocktail. Most bartenders should be shot. Or at least taken to re-education camp.

A dry martini is a martini made with dry vermouth. The original martini (for reasons too long to get into) was a combination of gin (techinically Old Tom Gin), sweet vermouth and aromatic bitters. Dry martinis would be those made with dry, instead of the standard sweet, vermouth. Bitters would still be used. Eventually the standard martini became one with dry vermouth (as well as with London Dry gin instead of Old Tom)

The classic, proper martini is generally made with 3 parts gin to 1 part vermouth or thereabouts (2:1, 3:1, 4:1). And bitters - the preferred being orange bitters. DO NOT FORGET THE BITTERS. A martini is a cocktail, not an iced shot of gin. Meaning its a balanced mix of a base spirit, a sweetening agent (the vermouth) and bitters. Mixed properly, with actual vermouth in it, it will not taste overwhelmingly gin-y. It will taste like a mildly astringent candy. And made properly this way, it will make sense, you will understand how it has survived so long as a popular cocktail.

posted by Dave on February 6th 2009 at 11:29pm
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Thank you Dave. As a Martini drinker, I haven't had much luck ordering them when I am out. Bartenders tend to want to skimp on the Vermouth. I like the 3:1 Martini but please no bitters just some olives to marinate in the drink.

Can't understand why someone would have a vodka martini. Where's the flavor in that?

posted by Expat Decorator on February 7th 2009 at 1:35pm
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