Noilly Prat
The French dry vermouth that ages outdoors in the sea air for a year, and gives the Dry Martini its backbone. Everything about the alcohol percentage, how to use it and the glass that goes with it.
A year outdoors in the wind and sea air
Vermouth is aromatized wine: wine to which alcohol, herbs and wormwood have been added. Noilly Prat has been made in Marseillan, on the Étang de Thau in Languedoc, since 1813, and does something no other vermouth does. After aging in barrels, the base wines of Picpoul and Clairette spend a year outdoors in oak barrels exposed to the sun, wind and sea air in a courtyard.
That outdoor aging, the enclos, gives the wine a light oxidation and a briny, nutty note that you taste as soon as you open the bottle. Then mistelle and an infusion of twenty herbs and spices are added, including chamomile, coriander and bitter orange peel. The result is a dry vermouth at 18% that is used just as much in the kitchen as in the bar.
In brief
Noilly Prat and other vermouths
This is Noilly Prat Original Dry. These bottles play the same role in the bar, but are sweeter or a completely different style.
Noilly Prat Original Dry
The classic dry vermouth: briny, nutty and with chamomile. Essential in the Dry Martini and the standard for fish in the kitchen.
Martini Bianco
The sweet white vermouth from Turin, with vanilla and herbs. Where Noilly Prat is dry and briny, this one is round and sweet.
Beek Vermouth di Torino
Vermouth in the Turin tradition, with wormwood and herbs. Fuller and more bitter than the standard Italian bottles.
Lillet Blanc
Not vermouth but a quinquina: Bordeaux wine with citrus liqueur and quinine. Fruitier and more floral, and the go-to choice in the Vesper Martini.
Noilly Prat when you want to make a Dry Martini; Bianco when you drink vermouth neat.
Dry, salty and surprisingly complex
Herbs & sea air
Chamomile, dried herbs and citrus peel, with an underlying salty note that comes directly from outdoor aging.
Dry and nutty
Dry, with notes of nuts, chamomile and a light bitterness from the wormwood. Much more body than you’d expect from an 18% vermouth.
Salty and slightly bitter
A dry, salty finish with a hint of bitterness. Exactly what keeps a Dry Martini crisp.
Flavor profile of Noilly Prat Original Dry. Martini Bianco scores much higher on sweetness; Lillet Blanc higher on fruitiness.
Three ways to use Noilly Prat
Vermouth is wine, so it’s perishable. Refrigerate the bottle after opening and use it within a month or two.
In a Dry Martini
Stir 60 ml gin and 10 ml Noilly Prat with plenty of ice for thirty seconds, strain into an ice-cold martini glass and finish with a twist of lemon. If you want it wetter, go up to 15 or 20 ml vermouth: with this bottle, that’s no hardship.
Dry Martini recipe →Neat over ice
6 cl over plenty of ice in a wine glass, with a twist of lemon or an olive. In France, this is a very common aperitif, and at 18% it’s much lighter than most drinks.
Glass: wine glass →In the kitchen
A splash in the pan with fish, mussels or a cream sauce, instead of white wine. The herbs and light oxidation add a depth that ordinary wine doesn’t have. That’s why the bottle sits beside the stove in many kitchens.
More about storage →The best cocktails with Noilly Prat
Dry Martini
Gin and dry vermouth, stirred and ice-cold. The vermouth really matters here.
Dirty Martini
Dry Martini with a splash of olive brine. The salinity of Noilly Prat works well with it.
Vesper Martini
Gin, vodka and Lillet Blanc. With dry vermouth, it becomes a crisper variation.
Dry Manhattan
Manhattan with dry instead of red vermouth: drier and fresher.The right glass for vermouth
An ice-cold martini glass for the Dry Martini, and a wine glass filled with plenty of ice if you drink it neat. These are the glasses we recommend ourselves.
Everything else you wanted to know about Noilly Prat
Can’t find your question here? Check out our cocktail recipes or get in touch.
To the cocktail recipes →What is the alcohol percentage of Noilly Prat?
What exactly is vermouth?
Why does Noilly Prat age outdoors?
How do you store vermouth after opening?
How much vermouth goes into a Dry Martini?
Can you cook with Noilly Prat?
Buy Noilly Prat
Want the bottle at home right away? Order Noilly Prat online from Gall & Gall.
Prices as of November 3, 2026, as reported by Gall & Gall. You can see the current price and stock at Gall & Gall. Glazen.nl receives a small commission if you buy something through these links; you pay nothing extra. No 18, no alcohol.
