The social drinker

Christmas is coming, which means it is time to consider holes in your drinks cabinet. One of the most overlooked bottles in any good cabinet is vermouth. It’s a key ingredient in drinks as varied as Martinis, Manhattans and Negronis, pictured below, but it’s also delicious when mixed with tonic water, or Prosecco and ice.

Vermouth is a whole category of drink; it can be sweet or dry, spicy, herbal or citrusy, depending on the wine used in the production process and the botanicals added afterwards. These botanicals can vary from rosemary to myrrh, but must include wormwood — a sage-like herb whose German name, Wermut, gives vermouth its name.

While the name may come from German, the Italians are consistently the best when it comes to making vermouth. Names such as Martini, Cinzano and Mancino are all reminders of a glory age for vermouth innovation, which began in Turin in the late 18th Century and has continued ever since.

Italian vermouths are usually red-coloured, and mildly bitter but simultaneously sweet. The bottle label usually has the word rosso on it. In contrast, French vermouth tends to be pale, dry and somewhat bitterer. French vermouth’s most famous producer is Noilly Prat, which is made from the Picpoul and Clairette Blanche grapes, along with chamomile, coriander, cloves, nutmeg and veronica. A good alternative is anything made by Dolin.

The main thing to remember about vermouth is that it is a fortified wine, so it goes off quickly as the wine oxidises. Make sure to find a home in your fridge for your bottle and drink it within about six weeks. Although as vermouth is a necessary ingredient for so many of the world’s best drinks, you are unlikely to need to keep a bottle for longer than this if you are entertaining over Christmas.