London Cocktail Week founders Hannah Sharman-Cox and Siobhán Payne are taking the reins for this instalment of Pour Decisions
It’s hardly new news that martinis are the go-to order right now. Any bar worth its salt is offering a martini menu – usually at both full and teeny size – but these deliciously decadent drinks are easy peasy to whip up at home too.
The question of gin or vodka is usually the first ‘decision’ in this classic two-part cocktail but why not give the same attention to the vermouth too? With wet martinis becoming increasingly appealing (‘wet’ means more vermouth, which in turn means lower ABV, which can in turn mean more martinis), there’s even more reason to make a considered choice for such a major part of your cocktail. In fact, martinis are getting so wet that a 50:50 ratio (vodka / gin : vermouth) is now totally acceptable.
Here are our pick of vermouths to experiment with at home.
Valentia Island
A female-owned brand, this hand-crafted sweeter-style vermouth is a first for Ireland was created by Anna and Orla O’Carroll using plants and herbs from their home on Valentia Island. The native gorse, along with the home-made caramel, makes for a juicy taste, which they suggest amplifying with a slug of orange bitters and an orange twist.
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Regal Rogue
Savoury with notes of olive leaf and white pepper, this certified organic Australian vermouth was created with a base of Sauvignon Blanc, and with the wet martini in mind – we suggest garnishing with a caper berry. It’s also available to buy by the box if martinis are really your thing.
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Schofield’s Dry Vermouth
This is made by Asterly Bros. under the watchful eye of the Schofields, two more brothers who are putting Manchester firmly on the map when it comes to cocktails. It uses English Bacchus wine as its base with 28 botanicals, including jasmine, gentian and milk thistle, giving a floral, yet slightly woody note – perfect as the star of the show in a 50:50 martini.
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Vault Coastal Dry Vermouth
Another English option, a super salty one from the team at Vault Aperitivo. This crisp dry vermouth is also made from English Bacchus wine but with very different botanicals, like oyster shells, rock samphire and sea purslane. While we know that the original martini was made using gin, this one is crying out for vodka (and a gilda).
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Noilly Prat
We’d be remiss not to give a shout out to an excellent vermouth that is much more widely available than some of these niche options – a corner shop classic if you will. Noilly Prat is a French aged vermouth that has none of the cloying sugary-notes that many other ‘entry-level’ vermouths are plagued by and which can play havoc with your martini. This is quite simply a very solid choice.
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Vermouth is the sixth article in our Pour Decisions series. If you liked this, check out our pieces on Beaujolais, British Ciders, DILF wines, Claret and Dry Tokaji. Cheers!
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