Wine Spectator: Why Vermouth Is the Perfect Bridge to Cocktails for Wine Lovers

And why you should be storing this Martini staple in the fridge

By Kenny Martin

For decades, vermouth has been accumulating dust on the back bar, where a lonely green bottle waits to be used sparingly—if at all—in a dry Martini.

Luckily for wine and spirits lovers, change is in the air. In the past decade, established brands have upped their game, and small producers are making outstanding versions in both traditional and experimental styles. Vermouth generally offers excellent value, with most bottles priced less than $40. And vermouth is highly versatile—suitable for sipping on the rocks, mixing up a cocktail or savoring straight from a wineglass.

“Vermouth is the best of both worlds for me as a wine person,” says Madeline Maldonado, beverage director at José Andrés’ Mercado Little Spain. Its versatility, range of styles and ability to express terroir make it a natural bridge between wine and spirits—and a stylish addition to any home bar.

With soaring quality and diversity, there’s never been a better time to appreciate this fortified and aromatized wine.

What Is Vermouth, and How Is It Made?

Traditionally, the base wine for all vermouth is white. Most sweet vermouths get their color from a combination of sugar, botanicals and sometimes colorants. Spirit is added to the base wine, which results in an alcohol by volume between 13 and 22 percent. Alec Kass, who has assembled a list of over 200 vermouths as beverage director at New York’s Rosevale Cocktail Room at the Civilian Hotel, says vermouth “is closer to wine, in many respects, than it is to spirits.” It can be drunk straight, in a wineglass, on the rocks or in a dazzling array of cocktails.

Vermouth’s defining botanical is wormwood. (The name “vermouth” may have come from wermut, the German word for wormwood.) While some countries require the inclusion of at least a little wormwood in order for something to be called “vermouth,” most producers don’t use much. And some, particularly those in the New World, avoid wormwood entirely. Other common botanicals include gentian, cinchona, rhubarb, cinnamon and citrus, and the number of botanicals in vermouth can range from a mere handful to more than 50.

There’s evidence that fortified and aromatized wine, some of which included wormwood, was produced across the ancient world, from China to Greece and beyond. Wine was commonly fortified for preservation, and botanicals were often added for purported medicinal benefits. While doctors today are unlikely to espouse vermouth as a cure-all, its appetite-stimulating properties give it a starring role in aperitivo hours across the globe.

Sweet

Sweet vermouths deliver complexity of flavor—from bitter to nutty, piney to fruity—that few beverages can match.

Navazos Palazzi

Spain | $32 | 17.5% ABV
A collaboration between the boutique Sherry négociant Equipo Navazos and the importer Nicolas Palazzi, this standout boasts a base of oloroso Sherry aged five years in oak. Red currant, pumpkin pie spices, Mexican chocolate, salted nougat.

Imbibe Magazine: 13 to Try: Vermouths

NAVAZOS-PALAZZI VERMUT ROJO

Some of the most lusciously drinkable vermouths these days are coming from Spain. And this arresting rojo proves that sippable doesn’t mean simplistic. Hailing from Jerez, this oloroso-based vermouth from wine and sherry negociant Equipo Navazos and self-described “provider of geeky spirits” importer PM Spirits is as sultry and elaborate as they come. It features a texture so robust it’s almost chewy and a skillfully stacked set of floral botanicals and spice that rings every aromatic bell. Pour it over ice to taste its flavors slowly unfurl. Or mix it into a mezcal Negroni if you want to blow the roof off the place. $34.96, astorwines.com

In Praise of La Hora del Vermut, Spain’s Cherished Vermouth Hour Tradition

I’ve been missing Barcelona lately—where not long ago, I explored wine bars in search of new-wave Spanish wines—so on a recent afternoon I made a visit to Jose Andres’s Mercato Little Spain at Hudson Yard in Manhattan. Specifically, I longed for the days I spent drinking in the city’s vermuterias. So I went to Mercato Little Spain’s vermuteria with the cheeky name, Bar Celona. (Get it?) I ordered a Yzaguirre Rojo, a classic Catalan red, and was immediately transported back to a sunny la hora del vermut.

Vermouth hour is a sacred time of day in Barcelona. Originally, it meant sometime around noon or 1 pm, when you grabbed a vermouth and a snack to tide you over until lunch. But these days, the vermouth hour can be any time before a meal, though it usually means day drinking. A vermouth over ice, with maybe a slice of citrus and an olive, along with potato chips, some kind of tinned fish, and gilda (skewers of olive, pepper, and anchovy) is one of the loveliest ways to pass an afternoon.

Spanish vermut generally has a different taste than its Italian counterpart. It’s more citrusy, brighter and less bitter, meant to be drunk not in cocktails but on the rocks with food. To be perfectly honest, Spanish vermouth is not meant to be a complex drink you spend a lot time pondering over.

Because Barcelona had one of the largest communities of Italian immigrants when Italian vermouth was becoming widely exported during the late 19th century, vermouth soon became popular in the city. The local Martini vermouth importer even created a bar that was designed by famed Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí. This is when vermouth became the drink of choice in Catalonia, often taken by families after church and before lunch on Sundays. But by the late 20th century, vermouth languished as an old man’s drink.

Then, about a decade ago, a younger generation of trendsetters in Barcelona set off a vermouth renaissance. Part of it was a new wave of local vermouth brands, such as Casa Mariol and Morro Fi. Part was also a sense of pride in local products as Catalan nationalism grew.

These days, while much of the vermouth production happens in Catalonia, the drink has become wildly popular all over Spain. In Jerez, where Sherry is becoming a harder and harder sell, several well-known Sherry houses have started making quality vermouth.

Still, Barcelona is the vermuteria capital. As I sat at Bar Celona, I thought about some favorite vermuterias: the century-old Bar Electricat, in the old port neighborhood of La Barceloneta, where you drink vermouth from an unmarked bottle, which the waiter measures to calculate your bill; cozy, local Cala del Vermut Celler, near the Gothic cathedral, where you can eat fantastic tortilla and jamón with your vermut; the more posh Quimet & Quimet in the Poble Sec neighborhood, with an amazing array of tinned fish and montaditos.

I couldn’t necessarily tell you the brands of vermouth I drank in those places. But it doesn’t really matter. In the end, Spanish vermouth is all about a vibe.

7 Spanish Vermouths to Try

Barcelona was the spot where Spain’s vermouth renaissance started, and so Catalonia remains a source of great vermouth. But there are growing number of vermouth brands now coming from Jerez, as Sherry houses look to diversify their offerings.

Navazos-Palazzi Vermut Rojo

This offering from famed Sherry negociant Equipo Navazos and importer PM Spirits comes from Jerez. Bright, citrusy and super floral, with notes of lavender and chamomile on the nose and tea-like notes on the palate. Great on ice or in cocktails.

Good vermouth makes a great aperitif, fueling a delightful transitional moment before a meal.

Navazos Palazzi Vermut Rojo Jerez de la Frontera, 17.5 percent

This excellent vermouth is a collaboration between Equipo Navazos, a boutique sherry négociant that has been instrumental in the revival of sherry over the last 20 years, and Nicolas Palazzi of PM Spirits, which imports small batches of extraordinary spirits. The stamp of oloroso is clear on this lightly sweet blend. It is infused with spices and herbs to create a mellow, complex vermouth that refreshes as well as intrigues.

…PM Spirits, which imports small batches of extraordinary spirits.