It's time someone stuck up for vermouth. It has been unfairly shunted to the back of liquor cabinets at the behest of wannabes with coarse cocktail pallets. I blame vodka. It overtook gin as a cocktail staple for its ability to be emasculated in the shaker. The highest compliment most would pay a vodka is sipping a cocktail and proclaiming, "You can't taste the alcohol!" Well, that just breaks my heart.
People. You are supposed to taste alcohol. Rejoicing in the tastelessness of your cocktail is like announcing a choice cut of meat "tastes like chicken!" If all you want to do is get loaded, then have some self-respect and start an addiction to prescription pain medication. You'll feel better about yourself than you would ordering apple-tinis, trust me.
What does this have to do with vermouth? Well, it is one of two ingredients in a little cocktail called a martini.
Let's get this out of the way: subbing gin for vodka is a perfectly good cocktail. I do it myself on occasion. But it's not a martini. It's a vodkatini (vodka martini also begrudgingly accepted).
Therefore, gin martini is redundant in my book. A martini must has gin and vermouth to be worthy of the name.
Vodka and vermouth also make a decent combination, but here's the rub: vermouth has a taste. And the vodka constituency does not appreciate anything of the sort. So with vodka, vermouth is often left out altogether. (With no vermouth, your cocktail is neither a martini or a vodkatini: it's chilled vodka, but never mind.)
As a result, vermouth often languishes on the shelf.
Which is of great concern for martini drinkers like myself. First, consider that the ratio of gin (or vodka) to vermouth is typically about six to one. At times, much less than that. Which means one might have to drink 100 martinis to finish a one-liter vermouth bottle. It might take a mere mortal a year to bottom that bottle.
This is a problem because vermouth is essentially wine to which is added herbs and spices. You wouldn't keep an opened bottle of wine on a shelf for a year, so why do the same for vermouth?
As a result, I venture to guess that there's a lot of stale vermouth out there, especially in homes. Consequently, when most people taste vermouth, they are tasting bad vermouth. And, predictably, they don't like it, and it's banished to the back of the cabinet.
Bringing vermouth back:
* Buy smaller, 375ml bottles of vermouth.
* Keep it in the fridge after opening. Estimates vary, but an open bottle of vermouth should stay fresh for at least two months refrigerated.
* Try vermouth. There's a reason a martini has lasted a century or so. It makes a difference.
3 comments:
Bravo for speaking up for Vermouth, its about time someone defended it. A point to mention if you have a large bottle languishing is that vermouth makes a great alternative to white wine in cooking.
But seriously, the vodka martini is a perfectly acceptable variation. It's my drink of choice and, shock of shocks I like it with a hint of Vermouth and I like to taste the vodka. Please don't lump it in with the Appletinis of this world. Vodka Martini is a perfectly acceptable name, it just sounds cooler than vodkatini and there's nothing wrong with that
I just want to tell you that not only do I love gin, but I love "Drinky McDrinkerson" and have referred to myself by that name, much like you. Also, I always try to stick up for Vermouth! Thank you for this posting!
Vermouth is excellent to cook with. Substitute it anywhere where white wine is used, to deglaze a pan for a sauce, etc. Its a great way to keep your bottle fresh.
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