What is Vermouth?

When you hear 'vermouth,' you might immediately picture a martini, a drink famously loved by James Bond. While it's often paired with bold spirits like gin or vodka in a martini, vermouth is much more than a cocktail ingredient. It's a complex, flavorful drink with a depth that makes it perfect for more than just the classic martini. So, what exactly is vermouth, and why is it so special? Let’s dive in.

What is Vermouth?

Vermouth is actually a type of wine—specifically, a fortified wine. This means that spirits are added to the wine to enhance its flavor, along with a variety of herbs and spices. Depending on whether it's sweet or dry vermouth, the mix of botanicals can vary, and each brand has its own unique recipe. Vermouth adds a herbal, aromatic quality to cocktails, but it can also be enjoyed on its own as an aperitif.

Dry Vermouth vs. Sweet Vermouth

Vermouth comes in two primary types: sweet and dry. The dry variety, typically French, is the one most commonly associated with martinis. It offers a delicate, floral taste with a hint of bitterness, and its overall flavor is light, herbal, and almost medicinal.

Sweet vermouth, or Italian vermouth, is a bolder and richer version of the drink. While dry vermouth serves as a subtle backdrop, sweet vermouth takes the spotlight with its deep, red color and a characteristic sweetness that is complemented by warm spices and herbs.

Some red vermouth varieties have a faint vanilla-like quality, making them an ideal match for dark spirits such as spiced rum, scotch, whiskey, and especially bourbon, as their flavors align. Despite its reddish hue, vermouth is made from white wine, with the sweet variety getting its color from additives like caramel.

What Does Vermouth Taste Like?

The flavor profile of vermouth is primarily bitter and herbal. Each variety and brand has its own distinct mix of spices and botanicals, but you’ll typically find notes of clove, anise, and juniper, along with other lesser-known ingredients like wormwood and angelica root.

You’ll often find a variety of citrus flavors in vermouth, such as the classic lemon or orange, but it’s not unusual to come across more exotic options like blood orange or bergamot in the mix. These diverse flavors combine to create a complex and intriguing profile, blending bitter, herbal, spicy, and sometimes sweet notes into a truly distinctive drink.

How to Use Vermouth

Get the Recipe: Negroni Cocktail

Vermouth is often the unsung hero in cocktails—like a bay leaf, it quietly enhances the flavor without drawing attention. If you haven’t noticed it before, you might be surprised to learn that vermouth is a key ingredient in many of your favorite drinks, such as a martini, Manhattan, Negroni, and Rob Roy. Dry vermouth is the go-to choice for martinis, as it perfectly balances both vodka and gin.

A Negroni is a quintessential Italian cocktail that features sweet vermouth. The spicier, the better when it comes to a Negroni—its bold flavors need to complement the strong, bitter Campari and the botanicals in gin. Variations like the Americano or Boulevardier also highlight the versatility of sweet vermouth.

Sweet vermouth is also essential in classic rye and bourbon-based Manhattans. The spicy kick of the liquor pairs perfectly with the rich, caramel undertones of the vermouth, especially when balanced with bitters. The Bronx cocktail is a unique mix, combining both sweet and dry vermouth. Along with gin and orange juice, it creates an assertively botanical flavor profile.

Where to Buy Vermouth

You can find vermouth wherever you buy liquor, whether at local stores, state-run or private, or through various online retailers that stock a range of spirits and liqueurs.

Martini & Rossi is one of the most iconic vermouth brands, often seen on the shelves of your favorite bar. They offer both sweet and dry varieties, but are best known for their rich, red 'rosso' sweet vermouth. Another well-respected name is Dolin, a French brand recognized for its dry vermouth, though they also produce a sweet variety. Cinzano and Noilly Prat are also renowned for their high-quality dry vermouths.