{"id":15162,"date":"2017-01-30T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2017-01-30T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alphamen.asia\/?p=15162"},"modified":"2021-01-30T10:57:04","modified_gmt":"2021-01-30T10:57:04","slug":"vermouth-is-back","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alphamen.asia\/vermouth-is-back\/","title":{"rendered":"The Vermouth Vanguard"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Dust off your bottles of Cinzano and Martini & Rosso and dig out your collection of classic cocktails: vermouth is back in vogue.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like many of us, you probably have a bottle of vermouth sitting at the back of the liqueur cabinet. You don\u2019t use it, you don\u2019t tend to make Martinis at home, but you don\u2019t throw it out because\u2026well someone might one day. Fortunately, this velvety drop is enjoying a renaissance as bartenders rewrite classic cocktails with new, premium spirits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like port and sherry, vermouth is a fortified wine, flavoured with herbs and spices, originally wormwood. There are both sweet versions, including Martini Rosso, a key component in a Manhattan, and dry styles like Noilly Prat, which remains popular for Martinis. Other styles include Lillet Blanc, which had its own renaissance after the Bond movie Casino Royale<\/em> was released (it\u2019s used in the original Vesper martini), and the delicate Chamb\u00e9ry, drunk on its own in Switzerland. Despite years of decline, a new generation of high-quality vermouths are being given a chance to star in the cocktail show, not just cameo. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Dust<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cVermouth is a star player in the classic and pre-Prohibition cocktails that are enjoying a resurgence in cocktail bars around the world,\u201d says Ludovic Miazga, Noilly Prat Global Brand Ambassador. \u201cThe classic dry martini cocktail, Negroni and Manhattan are just some of the favourites where this fortified wine plays an integral part. People are also discovering the light and delicate taste of the category when served as a simple and refreshing aperitif. A time-honoured French tradition and pastime, the aperitif is becoming increasingly popular around the world.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The renaissance began, some say, with adventurous winemakers in California, who created small-batch vermouths that were floral and elegant, catching the eyes of local bartenders. Others say it was the classic summertime cocktails of southern Europe that won new favour in mixology capitals like London and Sydney as bartenders dabbled with the past, brands renewed their marketing efforts and launched premium products, and punters placed importance on locally made spirits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cI\u2019ve always been fascinated by vermouth and its many uses,\u201d says Peter A. Cicero, director of culinary science at Damascus Spirits. \u201cThe modern vermouth is being turned upside down in that modern mixologists are varying the types of herbs being used to create cutting-edge flavour profiles. These new flavours allow vermouths to occupy the main stage of drinks instead of always being used as a component.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cVermouth has never really been forgotten as it\u2019s such an important ingredient in many classic cocktails,\u201d says David Hernandez, bar manager at Grain at the Four Seasons Sydney<\/a>. \u201cWhat has changed is the perception
of vermouth, as customers are becoming more aware of different vermouths. In the last few years, we have seen several \u2018premium\u2019 brands appear and do very well in the market, like Dolin from France and Vya from the US.” At Grain, when a guest orders a Negroni<\/a> or a Manhattan, not only does the bar team offer the choice of spirit but also the choice of vermouth, and consumers are playing along.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cVermouth is an invaluable tool for rounding out and balancing cocktails,\u201d says Duston Sullivan, avid vermouth fan and lead bartender at San Francisco\u2019s Fog City Restaurant<\/a>. \u201cDry vermouth can add a gentle acidity when lemon or lime is too tart; sweet vermouth can add a gentle sweetness and richness when syrups are too sweet. When I\u2019m working on a drink and having trouble getting the flavours to come together I always look to my vermouth collection for answers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The trend back to vermouth can also be seen in Asia\u2019s top cocktail spots. Hong Kong\u2019s newest speakeasy, the infinitely elegant Stockton<\/a>, uses not just one vermouth but two – Dolin Rouge and Dolin Dry \u2013 with the addition of
Geneva gin, bitter Italian spirit Fernet Branca, and Jerry Thomas bitters, to make its signature Hawtrey, a heady, modern interpretation of the classic cocktail style that made vermouth a household name in the first place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For more <\/em>Wines & Spirits<\/strong> inspiration click here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Dust off your bottles of Cinzano and Martini & Rosso and dig out your collection of classic cocktails: vermouth is back in vogue.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15167,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[2589,7058,1604,5981,109,128,7059,7061,20,217,7060,7056,2156,1352,7055,137,7054,425,3001,1353,7057,7062],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alphamen.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15162"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alphamen.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alphamen.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alphamen.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alphamen.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15162"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alphamen.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15162\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alphamen.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15167"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alphamen.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15162"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alphamen.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15162"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alphamen.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15162"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}