White Vermouth

Photo: flickr user Loui Loui

About

Vermouth is a fortified wine that is flavored with certain herbs and spices.
White Vermouth often refers to French Vermouth (though not all French Vermouth are actually white).

Information

Other names: French Vermouth, bianco vermouth

Translations: Baltais vermuts, Baltoji Vermutas, White Vermut, Bijela vermut, Trắng Vermouth, Biały Wermut, Witte Vermout, व्हाइट वरमाउथ, White Vermutes, Белый Вермут, Λευκό Βερμούτ, النبيذ الأبيض, 화이트 베르무트주, Bílá Vermut, Бијела вермут, 白苦艾酒, Vermut blanc, Bela Vermut, Biela Vermút, Vermouth Bianco, לבן ורמוט, Vit Vermouth, Putih vermouth, ホワイトベルモット, Vermouth blanc, White Wermutwein, Hvid Vermouth, White vermut, Vermut blanco, Білий Вермут, Valkoinen Vermutti, Бялата Вермут

Tasting Notes

Flavors: Varies by maker. Sweet with varying degrees of driness carry through most brands however.

Wine complements: White wines

Beverage complements: Gin, Tequila, Vodka, Rum

Substitutes: Dry white wine, White wine

Selecting and Buying

Choosing: If you do not have a favored brand of Vermouth, try a few to find the flavors that suit your tastes best.
Some of the best known brands of Vermouth include; Martini & Rossi, Cinzano, Noilly Prat, and Dubonnet.

Buying: Vermouth is readily and widely available in liquor stores, chain-stores, and super markets, as well as higher end wine shops and import outlets. Vermouth can also be bought over the internet with many websites offering flavor profiles for each brand offered.

Preparation and Use

White Vermouth can be used in place of dry white wines in recipes. There are also a number of cocktails that include vermouth in their mixing.
Combined with gin, vermouth is a key player in martinis. Other drinks that call for vermouth are: Superman, Vampire's Kiss, various martinis (dirty, dry, James Bond, crantini, appletini, etc.), and many styles of Manhattan. The Perfect Rob Roy also calls for Vermouth.

Cleaning: Vermouth does not need to be cleaned before use. In fact, it should not be cleaned.

Conserving and Storing

Vermouth has quite a long shelf life thanks to the higher alcohol content than regular white wines. An open bottle kept corked will keep for a couple of months in the refrigerator.

Social/Political

History: Vermouth was created in the 18th century by Antonio Benedetto Carpano from Turin, Italy. The name comes from the German word "wermut" which means wormwood, a major distillation ingredient in the wine that inspired Carpano.