What is vermouth?
Vermouth: Wine fortified with spirit and flavored with herbs and wormwood. Sweet (red) goes in a Manhattan; dry goes in a Martini.
- Category
- Wine & vermouth
- Taste
- Sweet: cola, vanilla, spice. Dry: crisp, herbal, white-wine.
- Strength
- About 15-18% ABV
- Similar to
- Lillet, Cocchi Americano
- Also called
- sweet vermouth, rosso, dry vermouth, blanc vermouth, bianco, vermut
The story
Antonio Benedetto Carpano is said to have created sweet vermouth in Turin in 1786. The name comes from the German Wermut, "wormwood," one of its herbs.