Vermouth by type

What sets the types apart

Vermouth is wine flavoured with herbs, with wormwood as the fixed base, and lightly fortified with alcohol. Red vermouth is sweeter and spicier, with notes of caramel and orange: the classic base for a negroni or manhattan. White vermouth is drier and fresher and suits a martini or an aperitif over ice. Below, each type comes with an explanation and the bottles in the shop.

Once opened, vermouth is a wine: in the fridge, an opened bottle keeps well for a few weeks, after which it slowly loses its freshness. Smaller bottles are therefore handy for those who do not make cocktails often. The classic houses come from Italy and France, but vermouth is also made in Spain and the Netherlands, often with its own herbs and its own wine base. Vermouth is also delicious neat, with an ice cube and a slice of lemon or orange. As an aperitif it is lighter than most spirits and goes well with olives, nuts or a cheese board.