Got a bottle of vermouth to use up? We’ve got answers. This fortified wine is extraordinarily popular in mixed drinks: but it always plays second fiddle. Why? It’s there to add body and complexity to cocktails, which it does in spades. It’s perhaps the best supporting actor of the cocktail world. Here’s more about this famous liquor, and all the best vermouth cocktails worth trying!
What is vermouth?
Vermouth is a fortified wine, or wine with liquor added to stabilize it. It was invented in the 1780’s in Turin, Italy. Today it’s drunk straight as an aperitif, or mixed in cocktails like the Negroni and Manhattan. There are two main types of vermouth: sweet (usually red) and dry (usually white). The dry variety is also used in cooking as you would a white wine. Vermouth needs to stay cold for storage, so make sure to refrigerate it! It stays good in the refrigerator for up to 3 months.
What does vermouth taste like?
The flavor of vermouth depends on the type. Here’s what you can expect from the most common varieties:
Sweet vermouth is subtly sweet and spicy, with a hint of bitter on the finish. The most popular sweet vermouth cocktails are the Negroni, Americano, and Manhattan. Dry vermouth has a crisp tart flavor, essentially like a dry white wine. It’s used in martinis, like the Classic Martini and Dirty Martini.
Sweet white and dry red are the most common varieties, but you can also find a gamut of other types: extra dry, sweet white (also called blanc or bianco), amber, and rosé. How much alcohol is in vermouth? It is 18% ABV (alcohol by volume) depending on the brand, so it has a low alcohol content. Compare it to 40% ABV for spirits like whiskey, rum, vodka and gin.
How much does it cost?
Compared to other liquors, vermouth is affordable. You can buy a mid-priced 750 ml bottle for $10 to $15. It’s easy to find at your liquor store or online. Some good brands of vermouth? We like Martini & Rossi for sweet red, and Dolin for dry white.
And now…the best dry and sweet vermouth cocktails!
Vermouth is part of some of the most famous classic cocktails around, from the Manhattan to the Martini. Here we cover all the classics plus some lesser known vermouth drinks. The list below includes sweet vermouth cocktails with the red variety, and dry with the white variety. Ready to get mixing? Variation: Rob Roy Cocktail (with Scotch) Ingredients: Whiskey, sweet vermouth, bitters Variations: Dirty Martini, Gibson Cocktail, Mexican Martini, Cucumber Martini Ingredients: Gin, dry white vermouth Variations: Negroni Sbagliato, Mezcal Negroni Ingredients: Gin, Sweet vermouth, Campari Ingredients: Campari, sweet vermouth, soda water Ingredients: Gin, sweet vermouth, Maraschino liqueur, bitters Ingredients: Bourbon whiskey, sweet red vermouth, Campari Ingredients: rye whiskey, dry vermouth, Campari Ingredients: rye whiskey, Cognac, sweet vermouth, Benedictine, Peychaud bitters, Angostura bitters Ingredients: Gin, sweet vermouth, Fernet Branca Ingredients: Gin. sweet vermouth, and Chartreuse Ingredients: Scotch, cherry liqueur, sweet vermouth, blood orange juice Ingredients: Gin, lemon juice. Cointreau, dry vermouth, absinthe Ingredients: Rye whiskey, sweet vermouth. Benedictine, absinthe, Peychaud’s bitters Ingredients: Bourbon whiskey, sweet vermouth, orange juice, 100% unsweetened cranberry juice, simple syrup Ingredients: Campari, sweet vermouth, sparkling wine 5 from 1 review
