Vermouth may be the most popular aperitif in the world, but it is also one of the least understood of all alcoholic beverages. According to a recent survey taken by the prestigious magazine "Wine Spectator", less than 10% of the people who drink vermouth mouth know what ingredients it contains or how it is made.

Part of the confusion comes about because in the strictest sense vermouth cannot be considered either a liqueur or a wine. Even though it is based on wine, vermouth leaves the category of true wines because it is made by adding flavoring agents to the wine. The beverage is further transformed by fortifying it with spirits and then pasteurizing, refrigerating and filtering the finished product, resulting in a beverage that is heavier and a bit more bitter than most wines. Every company that makes vermouth has its own flavoring formula, and the most complex and richest vermouth may have as many as fifty ingredients, often including a secret mixture of herbs that have been chosen for their aromatic and even medicinal properties. To add to the confusion, even though nearly all vermouth contains about 16% of alcohol, it can be either red or white, sweet or dry.

In France, Italy and several South American countries, vermouth is most often drunk as an aperitif but the population is divided on their preference for drinking it on the rocks or with soda. In the United States and most other western countries, vermouth is used primarily as a mixer to add flavor to a large variety of cocktails.

Another problem comes about because many different companies give us products that although called vermouth, have very little in common with the real thing. As people like to say on the internet, IMHO (in my humble opinion) the best red and white vermouths, whether sweet or dry come from Cinzano or Martini and Rossi in Italy and Noilly Prat in France.

Although I generally like my vermouth European style, that is to say, on the rocks, I am occasionally amused by a "Merry Widow Cocktail", made by combining one part each of sherry and sweet vermouth in a cocktail glass, twisting a lemon peel over them to release the oils and then dropping the peel in to the glass, adding ice cubes, stirring gently with a bar spoon and then straining the drink into a chilled glass.

Another popular cocktail made with in this case with sweet red vermouth is the "Americano". First made in Italy by English soldiers during the Second World War and later claimed by the French as their own invention, this drink has been the favorite of characters as Charles DeGaulle, author Ford Maddox Ford and Nikita Kruschev. To make this drink, which is refreshing at any time of the year but especially during the summer months, all one need do is combine equal parts of a good bitter is Compari) with red vermouth. The drink is then poured over ice cubes, served with a slice of lemon and, if one likes, with the addition of cold soda water. To make a Negroni (the drink that Alice B. Toklas described as "heavenly") simply add a bit of gin or vodka to your Americano.

© Daniel Rogov