Flavoured with botanicals and herbs, Vermouth is a fortified Spanish wine used in many a cocktails and apéritifs and often enjoyed on the rocks. The two main types of vermouth: sweet, or red, Vermouth and and dry vermouth, often known as white or French. The former, typically Italian and a rich reddish-brown colour, predates its drier counterpart. Just like gin, each brand of sweet vermouth has its own unique personality thanks to the varying botanicals used.
Martinez
Take a Martini and make it double dulce. Many speculate that it was this cocktail that inspired the birth of the infamous Martini. A cocktail which, in its youth, favoured sweet vermouths and modifiers whereas, by the time you’ve finished reading this sentence, the standard gin to vermouth ratio is likely to have increased by at least one, fuelling an incrementally drier combination.
Ingredients
60ml gin
20ml sweet vermouth
10ml maraschino liqueur
1 dash aromatic bitters
For garnish, Lemon twist
Instructions
Add the gin, sweet vermouth, maraschino liqueur, and bitters into a mixing glass with ice and stir until chilled before straining into a coupe glass. Garnish with lemon twist.
Gin & IT
This cocktail also holds a great deal of resemblance to the early, emergent styles of Martinis. While it appears to be ‘on trend’ to have your Martini as dry as possible, there’s a lot to be said for standing up to the peer pressure and marching to the beat of your own drum! So set a new trend and hold your head high in embracing this underappreciated and wonderfully simple cocktail!
Ingredients
30ml sweet vermouth
60ml gin
For Garnish, 1 or 3 maraschino cherries
Instructions
Simply pour the vermouth straight into a martini glass without ice, add the gin and garnish with cherries.
Gibson
Just one minor adjustment to the Martini to reveal a cocktail with its own completely distinct profile. While following the same gin and dry vermouth combination as the Dirty Martini, the Gibson swaps out the olive garnish for a cocktail onion. This simple swap makes for an effective transformation, introducing a light and earthiness in replacement of the salty and briny flavours.
Ingredients
70ml gin
30ml dry vermouth
1 or 3 cocktail onions, for garnish
Instructions
Pour gin and dry vermouth into a mixing glass filled with ice. Stir until chilled and strain into a coupe glass. Finally, add the cocktail onions.
Americano
Although with maybe not with not quite as much screen time as its shaken not stirred colleague, the Americano has earnt its place on the James Bond set, as a classic and sophisticated cocktail. In fact it was the first cocktail mentioned in any of the James Bond novels.
Ingredients
40ml Campari
40ml ounces sweet vermouth
Soda water, chilled, to top
For garnish, orange twist
Instructions
Add Campari and sweet vermouth to a highball glass filled with ice. Top with soda water, stir and garnish.
Manhattan
Despite speculative stories about its origins, the Manhattan remains something of a beloved icon. This timeless cocktail has not only stood the test of time but also remained largely untampered with, an ode to its strongly stirred pedigree.
Ingredients
60ml ounces rye whiskey
30ml sweet vermouth
2 dashes Angostura bitters
Garnish: brandied cherry (or lemon twist, if preferred)
Instructions
Add the rye whiskey, sweet vermouth, and bitters into a mixing glass with ice and stir until well-chilled. Strain into a coupe glass and garnish.
Negroni
The Negroni is a robust and sophisticated cocktail that stands out for its bold flavors. Unlike the increasingly dry Martini trend, the Negroni embraces a touch of sweetness from sweet vermouth, balanced perfectly by the bitter Campari and the subtle earthiness of gin. This simple 3-ingredient wonder is a timeless classic that’s as easy to make as it is delicious to sip.
Ingredients
30ml gin
30ml Campari
30ml sweet vermouth
For garnish, orange peel
Instructions
Combine gin, Campari, and sweet vermouth in a mixing glass filled with ice. Stir well until chilled and strain into a rocks glass filled with a large ice cube. Garnish with orange peel.
