As the old cocktail theory goes, it's all about the balance of spirits with sweet, sour and bitter components, the latter from amari like Vermouth — a perfect holiday gift!
By CINDA CHAVICH
I like a good martini and to make one properly, you need vermouth.
I once watched the dapper bartender at Dukes Bar, in the posh London hotel of the same name, pluck a bottle of the bittersweet liquor from his tableside trolley and ceremoniously swirl a few drops into an icy glass to make my Plymouth gin martini, oft described as the finest expression of this classic cocktail on the planet.
I really don’t know what kind of vermouth went into that legendary Dukes martini, only that the experience was a defining moment in my beverage education.
I’ve since learned to appreciate vermouth in other cocktails – notably the popular Negroni that combines equal parts of gin, vermouth and bittersweet Campari, or my favourite Manhattan cocktail with rye, vermouth and a dash of orange bitters.
Vermouth has its origins in Italy, a bitter wine-based amaro flavoured with a variety of botanicals, that’s a popular aperitif or after dinner digestif. Like many such concoctions, vermouth was first designed as a medicinal drink but it was considered essential to many classic cocktails by 19th-century bartenders, prized for its unique aromatic, sweet and bitter qualities.
As a great book on the topic, Amaro by Brad Thomas Parsons (Ten Speed Press), notes:
“The European tradition of making bittersweet liqueur – called amari in Italian – has been around for centuries. But it is only recently that these herbaceous digestifs have moved from the dusty back bar to centre stage.”
A good bartender knows about the power of these bitter liqueurs and has an appreciation for both classic amari and new regional creations.
“If dashable bitters are a bartenders salt and pepper then Amari are a bartenders aromatic herbs,” says local bartender Shawn Soole, who helped craft the new Naramaro from Legend Distilling.
Many dry and sweet vermouths and other amari are produced in Italy and France, Cinzano and Noilly Prat among the most widely distributed brands. You might also find basic Italian amari like Amaro Montenegro, Amaro Lucano or Sicilian Amaro Averna. Cynar is an artichoke amaro. Fernet-Branca is known for its strong bitter character.
But amaro has seen a popular resurgence, thanks to small artisan producers like Vancouver’s Odd Society and Woods Spirit Co., creating bold new local versions of this traditional drink. Odd Society Bittersweet Vermouth is Canada’s first homegrown vermouth, winner of New York World Wine and Spirits Competition as Best Vermouth for their bittersweet fortified BC Viognier, flavoured with local arbutus and cherry bark and aged in bourbon barrels. There are 25 different botanicals in the infusion, based on an old Italian recipe. At 18%, Odd Society vermouth is lower in alcohol than some of the other amari on the market, with a rich amber colour and distinctive aroma of caramel, lavender, clove and other sweet spices. Fortified with malted barley spirit, the flavour is bold, with bitter notes of wormwood and chinchona, citrus peel and burnt sugar.
On Vancouver Island we have two new vermouths to savour, the Imperative Dry Vermouth, made locally with Saanich wines fortified with Ampersand's Per Se Vodka, and a range of sweet and dry vermouths from Esquimalt Wine Co. Whether it's their Bianco Vermouth, Rosso (sweet) Vermouth, Dry Vermouth or other bitter aperitifs (from Bitter Orange to Kina-Salal, their honey (mead) based spirits range along the bitterness scale with a wide range of botanicals, many locally sourced.
Other interesting amari are popping up from small local distillers, too. Vancouver’s Long Table Distillery worked with the Apothecary Bitters Company to create their Linnaeus Amaro No. 1 liqueur, a 40% spirit distilled from Merlot pomace, with bittersweet herbal, citrus and vanilla notes. And Woods Spirit Co. in North Vancouver is making a beautiful amber amaro (28% ABV), a grain-based liquor with citrusy notes and bitter botanicals foraged in the mountains and forests around the city, including Grand Fir and tangy rhubarb.
And Naramata’s Legend Distilling flavours its new Naramaro with dandelion root, anise, sumac, orange zest and sour cherries, a nod to the hard-to-find Amer Picon, a French aramo that bartender Shawn Soole, who helped craft the recipe for Naramaro, says is integral to a classic Brooklyn cocktail.
The monks of old offered vermouth and other secret herbal concoctions (think Chartreuse or Benedictine) as healthy tonics for long life. Despite the alcohol content, inexpensive bottles of imported amaro could often be found on the shelves of Italian grocers. But today’s distillers are taking amari up a notch into gourmet territory.
If you like to share a spirited gift with friends and family during the holiday season, bring along a bottle of locally-made amaro. A bit of bitterness never tasted so sweet!
MAKING IT BITTER
You can dry your hand at making your own amari or Vermouth at home, but a bottle of cocktail bitters is infinitely easier. Here's a recipe share by Victoria's bartender extraordinaire, Nate Caudle.
NATE CAUDLE’S ORANGE BITTERS
With bitter gentian root infused into smoky, peated whisky and brandy, and flavoured with charred orange peel and sweet bruleed oranges, this makes a unique addition to your cocktail bar. Make it before Christmas to bottle for gifts.
Makes about 600ml
1L Mason Jar
500ml Marquis de Villard VSOP Brandy (or other inexpensive brandy)
100ml smoky Scotch whisky (McClellands, Laphroig, Talisker, etc.)
Zest of 4 oranges, charred or toasted
1/4 cup dried orange peel
1 orange, sliced into thick slices
demerara sugar
6 star anise
heavy pinch of whole cloves
8-10 allspice berries whole
1/2 vanilla bean
1 tablespoon dried gentian root
Remove zest from four orange and char over an open flame on a gas stove, or under the broiler. Slice one orange, top slices with a layer of demerara sugar and bruléed, with a torch or under the broiler to caramelize.
Place the orange slices and zest into a 2-L mason jar, along with the remaining ingredient. Let sit sealed in a cool/dry place for at least 10 days
Strain through coffee filter for clarity, bottle and enjoy.
©CindaChavich2024
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