Vermouth – a Cocktail Legend

When the complete history of cocktails is one day put to paper vermouth will play a star role. This classic drink should hold pride of place in any well stocked bar and cocktails with vermouth still hold pride of place on cocktail menus across the world. Popular cocktails with vermouth include the Clover Club, Americano and the classic Martini. Although vermouth is best known as a cocktail ingredient, it is also drank on its own as an aperitif in certain European countries.

Vermouth is essentially an aromatized fortified wine, flavoured with various botanicals such as roots, barks, herbs, spices and flowers.Several wine grapes, including Clairette blanche and Piquepoul are used as the base ingredients for vermouths. For sweet vermouth, sugar syrup is added before the wine is fortified with extra alcohol.The wine is then placed in large barrels into which the dry ingredients have already been added.There are several dry ingredient used in the production of vermouth and will depend on the type and the brand  but some of the most common are, citrus peel, cloves, cinnamon,cardamom, chamomile, juniper and ginger.The mixture is then until all dry ingredients have been properly absorbed and the drink is ready for bottling.

The word “vermouth” actually derives from the German word for “wormwood” which was once one of the primary botanicals used in the production of vermouth. Wormwood, a herb also found in absinthe helps to give the liquor its distinctive flavor. Some vermouth still use a little wormwood to this day. As a commercial product, vermouth originated in Turin, Italy in the 18^th Century as a sweet, dark red bottled beverage. Shortly after, drier styles emerged from Chambery and Marseilles in colourless or straw-coloured form.

Vermouth was originally consumed as a medicinal libation until the later 19^th century when it became a key ingredient in many of the first classic cocktails.Some of these early cocktails with vermouth included the Martini, Manhattan and the Negroni. Vermouth was regarded as the perfect element for lowering the alcohol content of cocktails with strong spirits as their base. It is also known for providing a pleasant herbal flavour and aroma and for accentuating the flavours in the base liquor.

 

Dry Vermouth

Dry Vermouth is usually associated with France and the most well known brands are Noilly Prat and Dubonnet. Dry Vermouth is used in the classic El Presidente cocktail featured below.

Cocktail Ingredients

50 ml Aged Rum, 12 1/2 ml Orange Liqueur, 10 ml Dry Vermouth, splash Grenadine, Orange Peel

How to make an El Presidente cocktail

Begin by chilling coupe glass with ice and soda. Add ice to mixing glass and add all ingredients.Stir sown the drink for 20 seconds, using a bar spoon. When mixing ensure the glass is kept full to the brim with ice. Strain the drink into the chilled coupe glass and serve straight up. Garnish with orange peel twist.

 

Sweet Vermouth

Sweet Vermouth is normally associated with Italy and famous brands include Cinanzo Bianco and Carpano Pune E Mes. The delightful Clover Club cocktail,shown below, features Sweet Vermouth.

Cocktail Ingredients

37 1/2 ml Gin, 37 1/2 ml Lemon Juice, 20 ml Sweet Vermouth, 20 ml Raspberry Syrup, 1 Egg White,

How to make a Clover Club cocktail

Pour the ingredients into cocktail shaker and dry shake for 5 seconds.Add ice to the shaker and shake hard for a further 15 seconds.Single strain into a coupe glass and serve.