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This isn't your dad's vermouth

Tricia

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What I know about vermouth can be held in a shot glass(or less), so imagine my surprise when I read this article written by BottleNotes.com, about the changes in vermouth over the past few years and the incredible nuances
The Best American Vermouth Producers

Snip from article.
Vermouth used to be a simple affair: sweet or dry, red or white. But the cocktail renaissance coupled with the push for all-things-artisanal means a new slate of vermouth has emerged.

Whether you’re planning something simple (a splash of soda) or more ornate (a Manhattan), here’s a cheat sheet for the names in American vermouth you need to know now.

Talk to me about Vermouth!:martini:
 
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Tricia

Tricia

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SBrown

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Mmmmmkay. What makes it good?

They are two different brands. And I forgot Carpano Antica, which is my favorite, duh.

Mostly we use vermouth to make Manhattans and negronis, but these are really good with soda, too, or even by themselves. Punt e Mes is spicier, more bitter. Dolin is softer and sweeter. Carpano Antica is kind of the best of both worlds.
 

SShore

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I've been drinking a lot of vermouth just on it's own lately. Over ice with a wedge of orange. A perfect summertime drink. In addition to what @SBrown recommends above, I really like Alessio Vermouth Chinato which has some quinine in it adding a bitter component in it, Cocchi Vermouth di Torino which also has a bitter bit but also some tart fruit aspects, and my favorite of late Bonal, not technically a vermouth but very similar. It has gentiane and quinine infused in it giving a nice bitter component to the sweetness.

Also not technically vermouth, but in the family and completely delicious, although very pricy, are Barolo Chinato's. I have a hard time plonking down $50-60 for a bottle of these, but have had a few at the restaurant where my daughter works and they are spectacular.

As an added benefit, with all of the quinine consumption, I haven't had a single bought with malaria
 

JeffB

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You guys convinced me to give it a try. The fact that it's still well above 90 degrees at almost 7pm is helping somewhat -

image.jpg
 
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Tricia

Tricia

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I was just watching a show about vermouth and had to go back and revisit this thread. I forgot that vermouth has a short shelf life after being opened, much like wine.
 

Marker

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My wife has always loved a good Cin Cin, half red and half white with a twist of lemon. I discovered Negronis a few years back by accident when someone ordered a special one and hated it. I swapped with them and found a new favorite. That one used Aperol instead of Campari and the vermouth was the Carpano above if I recall correctly. The gin was artisanal as well.
 

Après Skier

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Imagine my surprise (and disappointment) upon moving to France in the late 90’s when I ordered a Martini and was served a glass of sweet vermouth.

At the time cocktail culture was somewhat limited in France. The low-brow venues I frequented would serve whiskey-coca or gin-tonic. I couldn’t understand why in a country where people drank from morning to night the cocktails were so basic. It wasn’t until years later researching on the Minitel the internet I Iearned much of our flourising cocktail culture spawned from American Prohibition.

Back on topic… the Bottlenotes.com website appears to be down. I hope the blog mentioned a lovely vermouth produced California, Vya… delicious on the rocks or as an ingredient in a proper American martini.
 
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Tony S

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I am so glad this thread is back. Photos of specific bottles much appreciated since there are, for example, about fifteen different Cocchi products that might be called "vermouth."
 

SShore

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When we went to the Basque country of Spain we were looking forward to drinking sherry at the tapas bars. What we discovered instead, is there was no sherry to be found (I guess they make it for the British) but everyone drinks vermouth. Every tapas bar we went into (and we went into a lot of them) in Bilboa, San Sebestian, and Pamplona served vermouth with a splash of gin and a splash of their own proprietary bitters, and that is what the vast majority of the guests were drinking. The thing that surprised me the most is that almost without exception all of the bars used Martini & Rossi as their vermouth, even though there are some excellent Spanish ones available.
 

Tony S

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Brought this home tonight. $20. Very nice. Wendy liked the little taste I poured her so much she's got a small port glass with it, straight up.

It's on the tawny / spicy side as opposed to the grapey / herbal side. The Negroni I made with it is a little off, but when I hit it right I'll post.

The Spanish seem to have a knack for sweet vermouth. This is the second one from Spain I've had recently and they've both been tops.

PXL_20220406_010302847.MP-01.jpeg
 

Tony S

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This is the second one from Spain I've had recently and they've both been tops.
Apparently my idea of "recently" could use a reality check. This is the other one I was thinking of.
 

Tony S

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The Negroni I made with it is a little off, but when I hit it right I'll post
Okay, I have this on the run now.
  • 1 part Elisir Novasalus
  • 3 parts Punt è Mes
  • 4 parts Fot-Li vermouth
  • 4 parts Campari
  • 6 parts gin
  • heavy dash orange bitters
  • orange twist
 

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