I mentioned it as a one-off joke in an earlier article: “Oh, yes, there’s this little bar in Madrid just north of the Gran Via that specializes in Vermouth. They serve anchovies and olives as tapas – you really should go, dahling!”
But here’s the thing: I wasn’t kidding. That bar really exists. You should go there and drink sweet vermouth. But if you can’t go there, you should drink sweet vermouth anyway.
Vermouth, at least here in the States, is the black sheep of the bar. Everyone has had it at one point or another, typically in a Martini. Incidentally, can I say how irritated I am by the euphemism “very dry Martini”? If you’ve gotten to the point where you just want to drink a big glass of gin, then just order a big glass of gin and spare us the jargon (footnote 1). I would be willing to bet that 95% of the vermouth bought in the US is used solely in Martinis and Manhattans. And so, relegated by thuggish snobs to the ignoble role of “just a mixer,” I daresay that most people would never think of drinking it on its own. Which really is a shame, because it’s a wonderful drink.
For drinking straight up, I prefer the sweet variety. I usually drink it neat, but occasionally will cut it with a little soda water, which opens it up nicely and makes it a great aperitif. It has a spicy, sharp aroma, but the taste itself is quite round and woody. It’s closer to wine than to a spirit. Some people favor other wine-like or wine-based aperitifs (such as Lillet, which to me has never been anything other than vermouth tarted up in a frock), but for my money, it’s hard to beat a good vermouth.
And it goes great with green olives and anchovies. Mmmmmmmm.
Random link: because I love robots, I also love The Mixilator. It has yet to give me a cocktail that I can actually make — by sheer coincidence, I’m all out of loganberry juice, mandarin liqueur, pastis, and peach bitters, can you believe it? — but I still love the idea.
Footnote 1: Let me be perfectly clear: there’s nothing wrong with wanting to drink a big glass of gin. I just don’t want to have to listen to you try and be all cutesy about it.
The other thing is that vermouth is actually great for cooking — white vermouth works anywhere where white wine does, particularly excellent in risotto and pan sauce for chicken.
I hate to quibble, but: When I order a Martini, I order it very dry. Sometimes I follow up with “bone dry,” or more often “no vermouth.” And sometimes I say, “Really, I just want some very cold gin.” (Or vodka, depending on the day/company/location/whatever.)
When I say “I just want cold gin,” I pretty much always get an odd look from the bartended or waitress.
It’s not that I’m afraid of this look — it’s that ordering a glass of really cold gin or vodka confuses people and slows down the ordering process. “Dry Martini” may be an affectation, but it’s one that is well-understood. And anything that speeds the drink ordering process has to be a good thing.
You quibbler.
Ok, the first drink I asked for from the mixilator included Unicum:
http://cocktaildb.com/ingr_detail?id=46
Every second drink the Mixilator suggests for me includes Boonekamp bitters.
I’ll have to try vermouth in risotto. Sometimes I sub in dry sherry if I don’t feel like opening a bottle of white wine (because I’m already drinking a bottle of red).
If you like vermouth be sure to try some of the fancy artisinal brands. I like Vya quite a bit more than the usual crap.
I second the endorsement of Vya. Their dry is a little more floral than typical vermouths, but it makes it a great match for more floral gins, like Hendricks. Their sweet is so good it will ruin you for other sweet vermouths. It’s so good I use good rye with it in my Manhattans.