For those familiar with cocktail making, vermouth has long been a bar staple. However, you’d be forgiven for not knowing how best to use this alcoholic beverage.
Vermouth is not a gin but is a common ingredient in gin cocktails. It’s actually a fortified wine (not a spirit) that comes in many forms, each flavoured with herbs, barks, roots and spices to add extra flavour to cocktails and mixers. Common botanicals used in vermouth include juniper, citrus peel, ginger, cloves, coriander and wormwood, which is a perennial herb.
The two main styles of vermouth are dry vermouth, which adds a light, floral twist and sweet vermouth, a richer, red Italian wine that’s sweet, spiced and herby.
The natural botanical flavours are what make vermouth work so perfectly with gin. It has all the advantages and complexities of gin yet it’s often underappreciated and underutilised. That’s about to change!
What drinks include vermouth?
Many cocktails include vermouth. Perhaps one of the best known is the Manhattan, which is a combination of whisky, vermouth and bitters. There’s also the Boulevardier, Rob Roy, Blood and Sand, and Americano.
However, it’s the vermouth and gin-based cocktails that really excite us. From the iconic Martini to a sophisticated Gibson or a timeless Negroni, gin and vermouth have inspired many classic gin cocktails. But there’s also new ways to mix up these two delicious liquids.
Here we share our favourite recipes for gin and vermouth drinks.