Sweet, dry, bitter: how vermouth has endured, both as cocktail essential and drink in its own right
From its origins in the 17th century to its current status as an artisanal confection, vermouth has shown true resilience and longevity
The word aperitif comes from the Latin word “aperire”, meaning “to open”. In culinary terms, it refers to a dry, bittersweet drink taken before a meal to whet the appetite, as opposed to a digestif, drunk after the meal to aid digestion.
One popular aperitif is vermouth, an aromatised, fortified drink that starts out using a white or red wine base that is then flavoured with botanicals before a neutral spirit is added, increasing the alcohol content to not more than 20 per cent by volume. Some are made using the mistelle method, for which alcohol is added to freshly crushed grapes, instead of relying on the alcohol that occurs naturally when the grapes are fermented. This technique is often used to make a sweeter vermouth.
The origins of vermouth are found in the wormwood-infused wines of 17th century Hungary and Germany. Today’s vermouth still uses wormwood as a significant flavouring component. Vermouth’s modern era began in the 18th century in Piemonte, in Italy, and the Savoy region in France, when these two areas were part of the Kingdom of Sardinia. The local wines and abundance of botanicals that grew on the Alpine foothills were combined, creating a drink that was commercially valuable because it had better flavour and kept longer. It was also held in high esteem because the botanicals were considered to have a medicinal effect.