Vermouth: What It Is, How to Use It, and Why you Need it as a Home Bartenders!

You may have noticed that the Martini you made with the Martini and Rossi Dry Vermouth that has been sitting on your shelf for the last year didn’t taste quite right 🤔.

You probably looked at your cat and asked, “Snuggles, does vermouth go bad”? And your cat replied, “Yes, Meredith. It does. Everyone knows that. You’re a fool”. 

But is Snuggles right? What is vermouth anyway? Why do so many cocktails call for it? And why is your cat talking? Well, let us clear up all of those questions (except that last one) as we answer the question “what is vermouth?”

What is Vermouth?

Vermouth is categorized as an aromatized wine. Aromatized wine is an umbrella term for fortified wines with additional natural flavors. The main differentiator from vermouth to other aromatic wines is vermouth’s use of wormwood. To be considered vermouth, the drink, under European Union regulation, must: 

1. It must be at least 75% wine 
2. It must be 14.5%-22% ABV 
3. It must be fortified with alcohol (usually Brandy) 
4. It must contain wormwood 

The secret behind the creation of vermouth of any kind is the harmonization of all of the ingredients including wormwood and fortified wine, and also its natural flavors such as herbs, spices, sometimes caramelized sugar, sucrose, and grape must. 

The Italian and French vermouths are all made from white grape, and the color is added to the sweeter reds.

If you are wondering if you can drink vermouth straight, the answer is, hell yeah! European culture encourages drinking vermouth straight or on the rocks at restaurants, cafes, and bars. I actually don’t mind drinking vermouth straight. It tastes pretty good and gets the job done, that job being, getting drunk.

Let me reorganize this into a more engaging and reader-friendly blog section, similar to the Bloody Mary post style:

Understanding Vermouth Labels

Confused about whether you’re grabbing sweet or dry vermouth at the store? Don’t worry – we’ve got some pro tips to help you decode those sometimes-cryptic vermouth labels!

Color-Coding Secrets

Here’s a simple trick: look at the bottle’s color scheme. Sweet vermouth typically comes in bottles with red-dominant designs, while dry vermouth bottles usually feature green and white colors. The liquid itself is also a telltale sign – sweet vermouth has a rich, golden-brown or tawny color, while dry vermouth is typically pale yellow.

The Blanc/Bianco Mystery

Did you spot “Blanc” or “Bianco” on the label? Here’s something interesting: these are actually sweet vermouths in disguise! Despite sharing the pale color of dry vermouth, they’re sweet varieties with sugar content similar to (or sometimes lower than) their red counterparts. Sneaky, right?

Vermouth by the Numbers

For all you cocktail nerds out there, here’s the technical breakdown of vermouth sweetness levels (measured in grams of sugar per liter):

• Extra Dry: Less than 30 g/L (Perfect for your martinis!)
• Dry: Less than 50 g/L
• Semi-dry: 50-90 g/L
• Semi-sweet: 90-130 g/L
• Sweet: More than 130 g/L (Your Manhattan’s best friend)  

Popular Vermouth Brands

Remember what makes these special: while there are many aromatized wines out there, vermouth’s unique identifier is wormwood – it’s what gives these bottles their distinctive character.

French

Dolin brings us two classic expressions:

• Dry Vermouth: 17.5% ABV (30 g/L sugar) – A martini’s best friend
• Rouge (Sweet): 16% ABV (130 g/L sugar) – Perfect for Manhattans

Italian

Martini & Rossi The household name everyone knows:

• Sweet Vermouth: 15% ABV
• Dry Vermouth: 18% ABV

Noilly Prat The bartender’s choice:

• Original Dry: 18% ABV
• Extra Dry: 18% ABV
• Rouge: 16% ABV
• Ambre: 16% ABV

The Turin Legends

Turin isn’t just a city – it’s the spiritual home of Italian vermouth! The Torino designation is particularly special, as it indicates vermouths made in this historic region using traditional methods.

• Cocchi Vermouth di Torino: 16% ABV
  • A craft cocktail favorite
  • Made in the classic Turin style
  • Highly respected by mixologists
• Cinzano(Another Turin original):
  • Rosso (Sweet): 15% ABV
  • Bianco: 15% ABV
  • Extra Dry: 18% ABV

Pro Tip

When you see “di Torino” on a vermouth label, you’re getting a product with protected geographical indication – similar to how Champagne must come from the Champagne region of France! 🍷

Notice how dry vermouths tend to have a slightly higher ABV (18%) compared to their sweet counterparts (15-16%)? This subtle difference can affect your cocktail’s final balance!

Does Vermouth Go Bad?

Although the vermouth is fortified, it still has ingredients that will eventually spoil. An unopened bottle of vermouth can last 3-4 years. If opened, remember to keep it refrigerated. Once opened, if not refrigerated, the vermouth will go off quicker.

With refrigeration, the vermouth can last up to about 2-3 months. If old or spoiled vermouth is ingested, no need to worry, there are no harmful effects. You’ll probably just have a bitter, smelly, unpleasant cocktail on your hands.

If you’re making cocktails from home, your home bar needs to have at least a 375ml bottle of dry vermouth and a 375ml bottle of sweet vermouth. You’ll be using vermouth in cocktails often and you never want to be unprepared.

If you like certain cocktails more than others, for instance, Martinis more than Negronis, then you’ll need an extra bottle of dry vermouth. Just please, remember to keep it refrigerated once they’re opened.

A Brief History of Vermouth

Centuries ago, before we could just take a Tums every time we had a stomach ache, people had to treat illness with naturally grown resources.

One of the more popular remedies was wormwood, an herb that provided a number of health benefits to heal upset stomach, intestinal pain, appetite deficiency, liver disease, gallbladder disease, fever, muscle pain, memory loss, and worm infections. Wormwood oil can also increase sexual appetite, and stimulate sweating. Sounds like a fun night. 

If you heard of wormwood before, you’ve probably heard that it is one of the main ingredients in absinthe. But don’t worry, only large concentrated doses of the plant can cause hallucinogenic experiences–unless you’re into that sort of thing.

Wermut is the German word for the bitter digestive herb that we refer to wormwood, and has translated to the word for what would eventually be called vermouth.   

Final Thoughts

We never got to the bottom of the talking cat, but we did get to the bottom of the bottle. What other facts did you want to know about vermouth? Do you feel this post answers the question, “what is vermouth?”

Let us know in the comment section below. Until next time, remember to stay home and get hammered.