Sip back and relax
Country Life UK|April 12, 2023
Once relegated to the back of the drinks cabinet, vermouth is enjoying a fresh revival and not only as a traditional cocktail ingredient, says Jack Adair Bevan
Jack Adair Bevan
Sip back and relax

FOR many people, the only experience of vermouth used to come in the form of an ancient bottle hidden at the back of the drinks cabinet. It would sit—mysterious and sometimes menacing—next to the holiday ouzo and Harvey’s Bristol Cream. Which is all wrong; because, in fact, vermouth should be kept refrigerated and consumed within two weeks, not left to gather dust for 20 years.

Drunk properly, it has much to offer: the beauty of vermouth is that it can be enjoyed both as a stand-alone drink or as a key aromatic ingredient in cocktails. It is superb as a pairing for food or as a digestif. For bartenders and cocktail aficionados, it has long been a crucial ingredient for drinks such as the negroni, at once sweet, bold and bitter and so popular that it has a dedicated week in the calendar. Now, however, vermouth is enjoying a wider revival. Although there once were only a handful of commercial producers across the world, there are now dozens in almost every wine-making nation, including in the UK.

Vermouth is a fortified wine and falls into a category known as ‘aromatised wines’ or wine-based aperitifs. Simply put, it is made with a base wine, infused with lots of botanicals, including herbs, roots, barks and spices, sweetened with caramel or mistelle (an unfermented grape juice with added alcohol to cease fermentation). To be a true vermouth, however, it should contain wormwood or one of the 400 possible members of the Artemisia species, which provides one part of the satisfying bitterness.

この記事は Country Life UK の April 12, 2023 版に掲載されています。

7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。

この記事は Country Life UK の April 12, 2023 版に掲載されています。

7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。

COUNTRY LIFE UKのその他の記事すべて表示
Kitchen garden cook - Apples
Country Life UK

Kitchen garden cook - Apples

'Sweet and crisp, apples are the epitome of autumn flavour'

time-read
2 分  |
October 23, 2024
The original Mr Rochester
Country Life UK

The original Mr Rochester

Three classic houses in North Yorkshire have come to the market; the owner of one inspired Charlotte Brontë to write Jane Eyre

time-read
5 分  |
October 23, 2024
Get it write
Country Life UK

Get it write

Desks, once akin to instruments of torture for scribes, have become cherished repositories of memories and secrets. Matthew Dennison charts their evolution

time-read
6 分  |
October 23, 2024
'Sloes hath ben my food'
Country Life UK

'Sloes hath ben my food'

A possible paint for the Picts and a definite culprit in tea fraud, the cheek-suckingly sour sloe's spiritual home is indisputably in gin, says John Wright

time-read
3 分  |
October 23, 2024
Souvenirs of greatness
Country Life UK

Souvenirs of greatness

FOR many years, some large boxes have been stored and forgotten in the dark recesses of the garage. Unpacked last week, the contents turned out to be pots: some, perhaps, nearing a century old—dense terracotta, of interesting provenance.

time-read
3 分  |
October 23, 2024
Plants for plants' sake
Country Life UK

Plants for plants' sake

The garden at Hergest Croft, Herefordshire The home of Edward Banks The Banks family is synonymous with an extraordinary collection of trees and shrubs, many of which are presents from distinguished friends, garnered over two centuries. Be prepared to be amazed, says Charles Quest-Ritson

time-read
7 分  |
October 23, 2024
Capturing the castle
Country Life UK

Capturing the castle

Seventy years after Christian Dior’s last fashion show in Scotland, the brand returned under creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri for a celebratory event honouring local craftsmanship, the beauty of the land and the Auld Alliance, explains Kim Parker

time-read
6 分  |
October 23, 2024
Nature's own cathedral
Country Life UK

Nature's own cathedral

Our tallest native tree 'most lovely of all', the stately beech creates a shaded environment that few plants can survive. John Lewis-Stempel ventures into the enchanted woods

time-read
5 分  |
October 23, 2024
All that money could buy
Country Life UK

All that money could buy

A new book explores the lost riches of London's grand houses. Its author, Steven Brindle, looks at the residences of plutocrats built by the nouveaux riches of the late-Victorian and Edwardian ages

time-read
8 分  |
October 23, 2024
In with the old
Country Life UK

In with the old

Diamonds are meant to sparkle in candlelight, but many now gather dust in jewellery boxes. To wear them today, we may need to reimagine them, as Hetty Lintell discovers with her grandmother's jewellery

time-read
5 分  |
October 23, 2024