Dry Vermouth is a fortified white wine flavored with herbs. There are many brands, each with its own distinct flavor. That was the big lesson from this experiment: the range of flavors is very wide, and very interesting.
We sampled three dry vermouths on Sunday. I had known for some time that I like a Martini made with Martini and Rossi Dry Vermouth much better than one made with Stock, and I like to cook with it better as well, so I decided to explore various vermouths to see what they have to offer. I spent a few weeks picking up interesting brands wherever I found them. Here's what we came up with:
- Noilly Prat, on the left in the photo, was the darkest of the three by far, and flavorful although a bit sweet for my tastes.
- Martini & Rossi is my house vermouth, used for both cooking and cocktails. It was the driest of the lot, with a balanced herbal flavor. Lorna likes it on the rocks with rich fish dishes like a Newburg.
- The last of our trio was Dolin, which I was introduced to at Drink, an excellent cocktailian bar in Boston. This was lighter and sweeter than the Mertini & Rossi, and drier than the Noilly Prat.
- Richmond and I had compared the Martini & Rossi to Stock at the Club on Friday night, noting that the Stock was lighter in color and in flavor.
I like a dry, herbal flavor, so that colors my judgment; your tastes may differ.
One important factor is to think about why you want dry vermouth.
- As an aperitif, you may want more flavor and maybe more sweetness (no dry vermouth is actually sweetened, it is only the sense of sweetness from the selected herbs).
- For cooking, you want an herbal flavor profile that complements your kitchen.
- In a Martini, the most classic American use of dry vermouth, think about how you like a Martini. If you like it ultra-dry with only the faintest whiff of vermouth, I think Stock is about the lightest dry vermouth you can get that does not taste like chemicals. I like a more classic Martini with a more flavorful vermouth.
The great thing about dry vermouth is that they tend to be inexpensive, so it is easy to try this at home!
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