Sweet vermouth
Wine & vermouth · usually a modifier · in 6 cocktails here
What it is
Red, sweeter aromatised wine, usually bittered with herbs. Also perishable — a tired bottle is the most common reason a Manhattan tastes flat.
Typically about £10 a bottle in the UK.
What it tastes like
Bitter orange, vanilla, red fruit and a herbal, slightly medicinal finish. Sweet at the front, bitter at the back.
What it does in a drink
Modifier. It adds sweetness, body and bitterness at once, which is why so many stirred drinks need nothing else.
Cocktails with sweet vermouth
Unlocks 6 recipes on Drinki.
Best known
- Americano IBA The Negroni’s daytime cousin. Bond ordered it first.
- Boulevardier IBA A Negroni that spent the winter in Kentucky.
- Manhattan IBA Rye and sweet vermouth in a wool overcoat.
- Negroni IBA Equal parts, bitter and beautiful. The one you learn first and drink forever.
- Vieux Carré IBA New Orleans in a glass — rye and cognac sharing the driving.
- Negroni Sbagliato The "mistaken" Negroni — prosecco where the gin should be.
What it pairs with
The ingredients that turn up alongside sweet vermouth far more often than chance would predict.
Substitutes
Nothing substitutes for sweet vermouth convincingly.