Vermouth: history, types, how to choose and drink + 7 popular brands
Even those who do not drink alcohol at all are familiar with the Martini brand. But not everyone knows that the Italian drink belongs to the category of vermouths.
An obligatory ingredient of this spirit is wormwood, which gave it its name (from German "wermut" is translated as "wormwood"), the share of which can be up to 50% of the drink.
The history of vermouth in brief
Flavored wines were learned to be made in ancient times. But until the 18th century, they were used mainly as medicine.
It is assumed that the inventor of vermouth was Hippocrates, who invented a new drink even before our era.
Wormwood liquor has been produced on an industrial scale in Turin, Italy, since the second half of the 18th century.
Vermouth is made on the basis of fortified wine (white or red), including a variety of herbs and spices. In general, a recipe can include up to several dozen ingredients, each of which plays a different role:
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Wormwood, honeysuckle bark, tansy, oak, and shandra give it a moderate bitterness.
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Elderflower, coriander, nutmeg, cinnamon, yarrow, yarrow, lemon peel - provide nutmeg and spicy flavors.
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Rosemary, juniper berry, St. John's wort - add resinous tones.
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Lemon balm, lemon wormwood, catnip - give citrus notes.
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Chamomile, mint, cloves, iris root, vanilla, calamus, cardamom - soften and unite the bouquet.
Other mandatory ingredients of wormwood wine are sugar, which makes the tart taste more pleasant, and alcohol, which dissolves essential oils and fixes the aroma. The amount of these components depends on the category of the drink.
Types of vermouth
Vermouths are sweet, bitter and dry, white, pink and red. They also differ in the level of strength: the average degree varies from 12 to 18%.
Wine experts divide wormwood alcohol into 5 categories:
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Dry vermouth (Secco)
Contains up to 4% sugar. It can be only light. It has a delicate, delicate bouquet with a pronounced bitterness. More popular among men.
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White vermouth (Bianco)
Sweetness level: 10 to 15%.
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Sweet red vermouth (Rosso)
Contains more than 15% sugar.
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Pink vermouth (Rose)
The drink has a delicate salmon shade, in terms of sweetness it occupies an intermediate place between white and red.
Produced from a mixture of light and dark grape varieties.
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Bitter vermouth (Bitter)
It is characterized by a rich bitter taste and increased strength (about 30%).
It is used as a component of cocktails or as a digestif to activate digestion.
How to choose vermouth
When you are going to buy vermouth, it is better to give preference to the proven brands listed above.
Italian variants are characterized by a soft, playful character, while French variants seem drier, more tart and grassy.
As for the type of drink, ladies prefer sweet vermouths, such as Martini Bianco, especially when consumed neat.
Gentlemen prefer dry types of wormwood product and bitters. Any kind of vermouth is suitable for cocktails, but dry and white varieties are more commonly used.
Buy good alcohol is in specialized stores, so as not to become the owner of a fake.
How to drink vermouth
Vermouth is usually served as an aperitif and digestif, avoiding the morning, in cocktail glasses or in rocks.
When drinking pure, it is recommended to cool light wormwood wine to 10-15 °C, and dark wormwood wine to 8-12 °C, which is especially important in the heat.
Red and pink varieties are more often combined with purified water, black tea, fruit and berry juices, fresh juices and syrups.
White - with soda, lemonade, tonic, mineral water, green tea, liqueurs, citrus and sour juices
Dry - with strong alcohol (gin, vodka, absinthe).
The classic garnish for a glass is olives, black olives, grapes, and citrus slices. Frozen berries and fruits can be thrown directly into the drink before serving.
Good snacks: elite hard cheeses, including those with mold, salted nuts, grilled vegetables, dark chocolate, vanilla ice cream, unsweetened cookies, seafood and light meat delicacies, fish dishes.
As a digestif, Bianco vermouth is usually served to complete the feast: neat, with ice cubes or lemon juice.
The best brands of vermouth
The most famous are Italian and French vermouths:
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The mega-popular drink has been produced at a factory in Turin since the end of the XIX century. It got its name in honor of the Martini manufacturing plant & Rossi".
The company produces different types of vermouth: red, white, pink, dry and sweet, light and aged.
"The "king" of the collection is Martini Bianco, a soft drink with a pale straw color with recognizable notes of vanilla and floral tones, first introduced in 1910. It is added to cocktails and tasted neat with gourmet snacks.
Martini Rosso vermouth, created by one of the founders Luigi Rossi in 1863, is considered to be the standard in the lineup. Its recipe includes local herbs and natural caramel.
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Cinzano and Campari
The main competitor of the Martini brand - Cinzano vermouth - has been produced since 1757 in three varieties: white, red and dry.
Since 1999, the brand has been owned by the Campari Group, headquartered in Milan.
The company's equally famous product is a red spicy bitters based on aromatic herbs and fruits, created in the XIX century by Gaspard Campari.
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Carpano
Another native of Turin, whose recipe was developed at the end of the XVIII century.
Today, the brand is owned by the Milan-based company Fratelli Branca and is supplied all over the world.
Carpano Classico red vermouth is especially popular, as professional bartenders appreciate its harmonious spicy-citrus character, which makes it an ideal ingredient in cocktails.
"Carpano Bianco, on the other hand, is usually consumed neat, with ice or a slice of grapefruit.
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Gancia
Founded in 1850, the Italian company became famous as the creator of the first white vermouth. In the XIX century, the manufacturer from Piedmont was appointed the official supplier of the Kingdom of Italy, in the XX century - the Vatican and the Swedish Court.
Today, the company produces red, rose, white, dry vermouths with a strength of 15-19% and supplies them to more than 60 countries.
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Contratto
The Italian manufacturer has been producing wines and vermouths in Piedmont since 1867.
At the end of the XX century, the company was the official supplier of many royal courts in Europe.
To create red and white vermouths, the company uses secret recipes of the XIX century, which include 30 to 50 ingredients.
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Dollin
The first vermouth based on Uni Blanc wine was produced by the French manufacturer Maison Dolin and Cie in the early XIX century.
The recipe included about 2 dozen herbs and spices. Today, the collection of the independent company from the city of Chambéry includes dry, white and red versions of the drink with a strength of 16-18%, as well as the original vermouth "La Chamberyzette" with strawberry liqueur.
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Noilly Prat
World-famous vermouths have been produced in the French region of Languedoc-Roussillon for more than two centuries.
The collection includes 4 types of drinks: Extra Dry, Original Dry, Rouge and Amber (strength: 16-18%). The recipe, created in the early XIX century by the wine merchant Joseph Noilly, is still kept secret to this day.
It is only known that vermouths contain a mixture of 20 herbs and spices, including: chamomile and gentian from France, bitter orange peel from Tunisia, nutmeg from Indonesia, cardamom from India, cinnamon from Sri Lanka, rose petals from Morocco...
Wine is aged in Canadian oak barrels for making drinks.
Among the Italian brands, Vermouth del Professore, Tosti, Cocchi, Filipetti are also highly valued, and among the French brands - La Quintinye, Lillet.
In addition to Italy and France, vermouths are made in the USA, Spain, Argentina, Western Europe, Ukraine, Moldova, etc.
Update: 18.07.2019
Category: Wine and Vermouth