Are you ready to celebrate Vermouth like it deserves?
Vermouth Day (March 21st) is a time to celebrate this marvelous invention that has stood the test of time and become one of the key components for any serious drinks cabinet.
After all, some of the best classic cocktails all include Vermouth, and you can’t call yourself a connoisseur without knowing how to use it!
Vermouth is one of the most infamous drinks out there.
A fortified, aromatized wine, it is used in far more recipes than you might expect, from cooking to cocktails.
However, most people would recognize it first as a key ingredient in popular cocktails such as Martinis, Manhattans, and of course Negronis.
And yet, for some reason, it isn’t as celebrated as spirits like gin and vodka, or like its cousin, wine! Vermouth is a hidden gem, with a rich history and a powerful taste.
First used as medicine the drink’s popularity as an aperitif grew fast, and two versions have been developed; a sweet, rosso style, and a pale vermouth that was considered dryer and a touch more bitter.
Both became incredibly popular – and the rest, as they say, is history.
That’s not quite everything though.
When cocktails were invented in the 19th century, everything changed, and Vermouth found a new lease of life amongst bartenders who loved using it due to the drink’s sweetness and versatility, as well as the large palate of flavours it could give to the cocktail.
The most famous use of vermouth is almost certainly for the Martini, made extremely popular by James Bond and his ‘shaken, not stirred’ preferences.
On Vermouth Day, this Sunday 21st March, we want to celebrate Vermouth in all its forms, without barriers – Vermouths from every country, colour and flavour, each with its own production method.
The fortified, aromatized wine is made using wine grapes as a base ingredient.
After aging a short while, a grape spirit and/or a sugar syrup are added, before the whole mixture is combined with dry aromatic spice ingredients.
Each Vermouth producer has his own thinking behind his recipe, and we wanted to mention two from the Nimbility portfolio with very different approaches to making their Vermouths: Adelaide Hills Distillery from Australia and OSCAR.697 from Italy.
#1
Adelaide Hills Distillery – Vermouths with an Australian Twist
Exceptional small batch spirits producer Adelaide Hills Distillery was founded in 2014 by Sacha La Forgia, Australia’s Top 12 Young Gun of Wine, who travelled the world for over 6 years working vintages and exploring the world of distilling.
Handcrafting a copper pot still from the ground up, Sacha is passionate about crafting spirits from Australian produce and values quality above all else.
Alongside their awards winning Gins and whiskeys, the brand is also producing a unique range of Vermouths with their signature Australian twist.
Rosso Vermouth
The Adelaide Hills in South Australia is home to some of Australia’s most revered farms, orchards and gourmet producers, with its celebrated cool climate providing perfect conditions for growers and farmers alike.
From this enviable landscape, AHD takes their inspiration using only the highest quality produce, sourced both locally and from other premium regions both interstate and around the world.
South Australia is particularly well known for red wine.
For their Rosso Vermouth, AHD’s preference is for old vine Grenache that emanates from the depths of McLaren Vale.
Casting characteristics of raspberry and blueberry with nuances of spice, chocolate and tobacco, this is the perfect foundation for crafting this product.
A generous handful of their imported traditional blend of 36 Torino roots, herbs and spices, that have been stored since the 1960s, add vanilla, spice and a rounded herbal tone.
Then they add their signature Australian touch with a late addition of Anise Myrtle and Quandong, then utilise the citrus characteristics of Sunrise Lime and Finger Lime to cut through the unctuous nature of the Grenache.
This Vermouth comes into its own in an Estate Negroni, mixed with AHD 78° Gin and The Bitter Orange.
Dry Vermouth
Created with McLaren Vale Chenin Blanc at its base, this variety showcases ripe stonefruit, citrus and herbaceousness, while adding great mid palate fruit characteristics to the Vermouth on which to carry the botanicals.
The Chenin Blanc is then aged in old oak and stainless steel with our modern blend of Torino inspired roots, herbs and spices.
From here this Dry Vermouth gets its distinct Australian air by utilising the French method of adding salinity in the form of Karkalla, resinous herbal notes of Native Thyme and a rounding off of undertones of honey and nuts imparted from roasted Wattleseed, tying all of the botanicals together with the varietal characteristics of the Chenin Blanc.
Best served in a Dry Gin Martini with 78° Gin stirred over ice, double strained into a chilled martini glass and garnished with lemon rind.
Rosé Vermouth
Created upon a McLaren Vale Chenin Blanc foundation with the deep red fruit and spicy pepper characteristics of McLaren Vale Grenache and Shiraz, the Rosé Vermouth is aged in a mixture of old oak and stainless steel with our distinctive 40/60 traditional/modern Torino blend that complements the fruit driven palate.
A unique flavour profile of Karkalla, adding sea spray, herbal, salty notes; Wattleseed lending toasty nuts, coffee and chocolate; Native Thyme adding herbal, green and savoury nuances; Sunrise Lime/ Lemon Myrtle and Finger Lime giving perfumed citrus notes and Anise Myrtle for a leafy complexity.
Best served in a Rosé G&T with 78° Gin and Mediterranean tonic.
#2
Born from a visionary idea of Stefano Di Dio, OSCAR.697, the contemporary Vermouth brand, is modernising the traditional Italian drink while still respecting its legacy.
OSCAR.697 is one of those up-and-coming contenders to traditional Vermouth, produced in the province of Asti, in the Piedmont region in the North-West of Italy.
Rated as "Exceptional," "Innovative" and "One of the best" in several internationally acclaimed awards,OSCAR.697 is a fresh take on Vermouth.
They aim to lead the whole category by using new ingredients and flavour profiles, far from the traditional cliché.
As Vermouth is a significant component of several classic cocktails,OSCAR.697 is focused on educating bartenders to ensure they are pouring the right Vermouth in their bars.
While the composition of the botanicals and the exact duration of the maceration are trade secrets, the rest of the process strictly follows the traditional Vermouth know-how, giving us three varieties: Bianco, Rosso and Extra Dry.
OSCAR.697 Bianco
OSCAR.697 Bianco has strong notes of bergamot which impart a sharp citrus flavour, yarrow muscat for peppery, bitter tannins and elderflower.
The ABV sits at 16%, and the sugar level is kept relatively low compared to other Vermouth Bianco to give it a drier and more bitter profile while maintaining a very fresh, delicate and balanced product.
Best served on the rocks, in a spritz and in cocktails with white spirits (Gin, Tequila, Pisco,..)
OSCAR.697 Rosso
OSCAR.697 Rosso has strong notes of absinthe, rhubarb and liquorice. Wandering off the beaten track, it has no cinchona, a botanical normally associated with rosso vermouths.
Again the ABV is at 16% and sugar level is kept low for a drier and more bitter profile.
OSCAR.697 Rosso gets its rich red colour naturally from burnt sugar. Absolutely no dyes or synthetic caramels are used!
Best served on the rocks, shaken or in classic cocktails such as Americano, Manhattan
OSCAR.697 Extra Dry
OSCAR.697 Extra Dry is a unique Vermouth that undergoes not just one but two infusions, the first with the botanicals then followed by a separate oak infusion!
The dry vermouth has strong notes of wild fennel, dog rose and oak and can be reminiscent of a fino sherry (and we do love sherry in the team).
The ABV is a little higher at 18% and the sugar level is kept EXTRA dry while being EXTRA aromatic.
Best served in a Martini, dirty or not !
For more information on Adelaide Hills Distillery and OSCAR.697 in China please contact info@nimbilityasia.com