VERMOUTH

Boissiere Sweet Vermouth is made from a recipe developed in 1857. Originally, Boissiere was a French brand of vermouth made in the Chambéry region; in 1971, seeking a new home, the brand relocated to the other side of Mont Blanc to Turin, Italy. So, this vermouth can claim two of the “capitols” of vermouth as it home. Vermouth begins with a neutral, dry white wine (generally) which is then blended with an eau de vie that has been infused with a special selection of herbs, flowers, fruit peels, seeds, plants and whatever botanicals are needed to achieve its specific and distinct attributes. The addition of the eau de vie infused with the 'singular botanical recipe' into the wine makes vermouth an 'aromatized'-'fortified' wine. With sweet vermouth, caramelized sugar is then added to achieve desired sweetness and color. In Boissiere, the aromas start at clean flowers, marjoram, coriander, citrus, chamomile, cake, clove, herbal and hints of nutmeg. The flavor articulately follows the aromas awash in a well integrated sweetness. All of this leads to a lean, fresh finish. Try this in any cocktail that calls for sweet vermouth, with soda water, on ice, with a twist or neat with a meal.

Antonio Benedetto Carpano invented vermouth in 1796; he was working in a cafe in Turin, toying and experimenting with wine, adding more than 30 different herbs and spices through fortification and infusion until he landed on the blessed, wonderful, glorious recipe we know as Carpano Antica. His experiments and subsequent discovery were so well received that soon after this his cafe had to stay open 24 hours a day to keep up with the demand for his creation-vermouth. This was done about 80 years before Italy was unified, in a little cafe, by a driven and gifted 22-year-old. A rosso (red) vermouth, Carpano Antica Formula leads with dry, earthy aromas of flowers, citrus zest, grass, caramel and dried fruits (figs, dates, plums). The flavors are deep, layered and sumptuous, with creamy, vanilla and butterscotch evolving into daedal herbs and elegant, earthy spice. The palate begins sweet, but by the finish it has articulated a level of complex richness that lingers with sparkling restatements of yummy spices. This is an amazing aperitivo, perfect to convert any hater of vermouth; sip it neat, chilled, on ice, with a splash of soda or in a brilliant cocktail.

Cinzano Dry Vermouth is off-dry and an inviting pale yellow. The flavours are vibrant and alive with notes of aromatic herbs. It's round, carefree and tempting.

In 1821, less than a decade after dry vermouth was introduced in Marseille (by Noilly Pratt), Dolin was coming up with yet another innovation in vermouth: Dolin Blanc. Dolin is a lighter style vermouth made from fine wines and botanicals found in the Alpine region above ChambEry and this new stylistic innovation, Blanc, is sweetened to the same level as the Rouge, but without caramelizing the sugars first allowing the fresh, crisp features to shine through. This recipe (like all the others...) is a secret, but there are 54 different plants utilized, the standouts being wormwood, hyssop, camomile, genepi, chincona and rose petals. Dolin Blanc is lithe, graceful and tasty. The plants used display a novel, tempered pedigree in the aromas that follow through to the flavors with a subtle, recherche bitterness buffered with the appropriate level of sweetness to maintain implacable balance. It is also worth noting that Dolin de Chambery has France's only A.O. for Vermouth - which means it can only be made in Chambry, by the maceration of real plants (rather than oils or prepared infusions) and the unique addition of sugar as opposed to other sweetening products. Dolin Blanc is nonpareil as an aperitif, on ice, with a twist of citrus, or in a dizzying array of fantastic cocktails.