Lynam UpVermouth’s new golden age, in Hong Kong at least
The fortified wine - to many just an ingredient of a dry martini - is a versatile drink that, in the right hands, can be a revelation. It has a champion in Hong Kong's Pirata Italian restaurant
Hong Kong is a cautious adopter of the latest fashions in drinking, so when co-owner Manuel Palacio claims that the bar of his Pirata Italian restaurant in Wan Chai is the city’s only vermuteria, it’s a safe bet that it will remain as such for some time to come.
For many people, vermouth is merely a minor ingredient in a dry martini – a dispensable one if there is none to hand.
So little of it is used that in some bars a bottle can last for months, or even years, which is one reason, Palacio says, that the drink has an image problem.
“At the end of the day, vermouth is a fortified wine and after a certain number of days it starts losing its properties. It doesn’t get oxidised like wine, but it loses its aroma and its main characteristics,” he says, adding that an opened bottle needs to be refrigerated.
Properly looked after, he insists, vermouth can be a revelation.
“It can be enjoyed in many forms. There are vermouths that go very well with ice, some that are best neat, some you might want to enjoy chilled, and others at room temperature,” he says.