How to pour
a vermouth in
Take the bottle out of the refrigerator. Vermouth should be served chilled, between 6 and 10 degrees, and an opened bottle should always be kept there.
Fill the tumbler to the top with ice and let the glass stand for half a minute so it gets properly cold.
Pour the vermouth over the ice and stir gently a few times with the bar spoon, without breaking the cubes.
Squeeze an orange slice over the glass, place it in the glass, and put the bottle straight back in the refrigerator.
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The story
Vermouth starts out as ordinary wine. It is fortified with alcohol, sweetened, and flavored with herbs and roots, with wormwood, or artemisia absinthium in Latin, as the mandatory base. Its name comes from the German word Wermut for that plant. Italian rosso is sweet, red, and spicy; French dry is pale and dry; bianco is white and sweet, and there is also a rosé. At the bar, vermouth is rarely the star, but it is part of the martini, the negroni, the Manhattan, and the Americano.
The right glass
Served neat or over ice, vermouth is poured into a tumbler: there is room for a few large cubes and a slice of orange, and you hold the glass at the bottom so you do not warm the drink. If you want to taste it without ice, a small wine glass works better because it concentrates the herbal aroma. A separate vermouth glass is not in our catalogue; these are the two shapes that come closest. Find more stemmed glasses among the white wine glasses.
Stölzle Lausitz Kyoto Tumbler 32 cl (6 pieces)
Royal Leerdam Gilde Wine Glass 20 cl (6 pieces)
Both sets together € 37,90.
The right tools
For vermouth, in addition to the glass, use a mixing glass for stirred cocktails and a bar spoon for stirring without breaking the ice. These are the bar tools we use ourselves; you can find everything in our bar tools & cocktail sets.
Glassware set (our choice 01) + 2 bar tools together € 47,85.
What do you serve alongside it?
Vermouth is itself a wine infused with herbs. In classic cocktails, it is paired with gin or whisky; these are the bottles you mix it with or that belong alongside it on the table. On each drink page, you can read the alcohol percentage, what it tastes like, which cocktails it works in and which glass you need.
Variations & twists
Italian rosso is sweet and spicy and goes into the negroni and the americano. French dry is pale and dry and goes into the martini. Bianco is white and sweet, and there is also a rosé. Drink it neat over ice with a slice of orange, or topped up with sparkling water and an olive. Want to read more? View all drinks and brands.
Serving tip
Serve vermouth at 6 to 10 degrees, over a few large ice cubes, and squeeze a slice of orange over it. Then put the bottle straight back in the refrigerator. That last part is the whole point: an open bottle of vermouth deteriorates over weeks, not years.
Good to know
Why does vermouth need to be refrigerated?
Because it is wine. As soon as the bottle is opened, oxygen gets in and it loses its fresh, herbal character; after a few weeks at room temperature, it tastes flat and mushy. Kept chilled, an open bottle stays good for about a month. That is the mistake almost everyone makes: the bottle remains next to the gin for months.
What is wormwood, and why does it have to be in it?
Wormwood is the Dutch name for artemisia absinthium, a bitter herb. It is the herb that makes vermouth vermouth, and it also forms the basis of the name: the German word for the plant is Wermut. The rest of the herbal blend varies by brand and is usually secret.
Rosso, dry, bianco, or rosé?
Rosso is the Italian style: red, sweet, and spicy, with caramel for color. Dry is the French style: pale, dry, and sharper in flavor. Bianco is white and sweet, slightly softer than rosso. Rosé falls somewhere between bianco and rosso in flavor.
How much alcohol is in vermouth?
Vermouth is fortified, but nowhere near as strong as spirits. Most bottles are roughly between 15 and 18 percent. The exact figure is stated on the label.
Which cocktails contain vermouth?
In more classics than you might think. A martini is gin with dry vermouth, a negroni is gin, bitter and rosso, a manhattan is whiskey with rosso and bitters, and an americano is bitter with rosso and sparkling water. In all four, the vermouth determines how dry or sweet the whole drink turns out.
Can you also drink vermouth neat?
Yes, and in Spain and Italy that is precisely the custom. A glass with ice, an orange wheel or an olive, and optionally a splash of sparkling water. Because the alcohol content is lower than that of spirits, it is a typical aperitif pour.
Frequently asked questions
Does vermouth really need to be refrigerated?
Yes. Vermouth is wine with herbs and alcohol, and after opening it deteriorates just like wine. At room temperature, you notice this within a few weeks. In the refrigerator, an opened bottle stays good for about a month.
What is the difference between red and white vermouth?
Red vermouth, the Italian rosso, is sweet and spicy and gets its color from caramel, not blue grapes. Dry vermouth, the French style, is pale and dry. Bianco is in between: white in color but sweet in flavor.
Where does the name vermouth come from?
From the German word Wermut, the name for wormwood. This herb, artemisia absinthium, is the required base of all vermouth and gives it its bitter undertone.
Which glass do you use for vermouth?
Straight or on the rocks, use a tumbler with room for a few large cubes and an orange wheel. If you want to taste it without ice, a small wine glass brings out the herbal aroma better. For stirred cocktails, use a mixing glass and strain into a cocktail glass.
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