Tag Archives: vermouth

The Negroni Cocktail

25 Friday Feb 2022

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I’m putting the horse before the cart here- tasting a cocktail whose ingredients I am not fully versed in.  I bought the Campari to make this drink but my day got away from me and it’s 5 o’clock- time for an aperitif.  I’ll do a taste test of that bottle at a later date.  For now I am trying, for the first time, a Negroni.

Tasting it without ice or any orange peel as I want to get the essence of the blend without outside influence.  It is a stunning shade of rustic orange.  I can smell it a mile away btw.  On the nose it is orange driven.  I get orange peel, candied orange, orange zest and then some hints of baking spices, black cherry and a saline note.  The palate is bitter yet sweet.  Quite delicious actually.  Orange components with a licorice tinge, baking spices, medium acidity and a full body make this an elixir to savor.  It coats the palate with candied sour orange that leaves a film of sweetness.  The alcohol content is barely noticeable which is surprising considering the Gin rolls in at 41%, the Vermouth at 16% and the Campari at 24% which averages out at 27% ABV.  Throw some ice at this and a bit of orange peel- yummy.  Glad I expanded my palate this Friday afternoon.  Salut….

Carpano Antica Formula Vermouth

22 Tuesday Feb 2022

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I recently did a taste test of two different Vermouths that got me thinking.  In my curiosity I delved into the history of the elixir to try and understand it better.  The nuts and bolts of which include a neutral wine, red or white.  Add aromatics and then fortify with alcohol to produce this unique aperitif or mixer.  The key ingredient by European law is the aromatic and herbaceous Wormwood (hello Absynthe) that gives it the bitterness we have come across.  The German name for this perennial (and somewhat poisonous) plant is Wermut, which was loosely translated to Vermouth.

I already tasted the Carpano Classico, today I will compare it to the Carpano Antica which runs $42 a bottle.  It is pale amber in color and has pronounced aromas of burnt caramel, orange peel, raisin pumice, bright floral notes and vanilla bean.  The palate is barely off-dry but the sweetness builds on the palate.  Very smooth, medium (-) acidity, low tannins and a crispness that is refined.  The wine is medium bodied and I can sense the alcohol on the mid palate.  The flavors are very precise and well integrated- citrus from the orange peel, raisins, walnuts, oak influence by way of the caramel and vanilla with a gentle bitterness.  The finish is medium (-) in length and bitter with the orange and nuts lingering.  I never thought I would drink Vermouth straight up but this is a seriously smooth drop that invites one to add a cube of ice and a slice of orange peel to sip at sundown.

As I mentioned in my original Vermouth post (https://caspernick.com/2022/02/14/vermouth-taste-test/), I prefer the Dolin for Manhattans but I think I would like to try this one in a Negroni, where the medium level off bitterness coupled with the not-so-sweet flavors will meld well with Campari and Gin.  Salut….

Negroni Recipe

Equal parts:

  • Vermouth
  • Campari
  • Gin

Garnish with a slice or peel of orange over ice.  Stirred, not shaken!

Vermouth taste test

14 Monday Feb 2022

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Moxie (and I) enjoy a Manhattan every so often so when I made a batch for the Super Bowl I realized I needed more ingredients.  I have experimented in the past with different Vermouths ranging from the cheap-and-cheerful Martini & Rossi to the $45 per bottle Carpano Antica.  They were all out of our usual- the Dolin so I settled for a split of Carpano Classico at $12 for the 375ml.  Drinking Vermouth straight up is not something to be done daily but in my quest to build a better palate I am willing to take one for the team.  Here goes-

Dolin Vermouth de Chambéry

Right off the bat this pale amber (wine?) has aromas of juniper.  Secondarily I get bitter orange, a medicinal hint and some cooked cherry cake with baking spices.  On the palate this 16% ABV wine is off-dry with bitter orange, baking spices, medicinal notes and a dusty tree bark hint that I have never come across before.  Medium (-) acidity, medium body and a decently long finish make for a very pleasant surprise- I really like this all by itself!  It’s not a daily drinker, but a small glass every so often with some tapas would not go amiss.  It’s our go-to mixer for now.

Carpano Classico

Slightly darker and more amber in the glass this one runs the same 16% ABV.  The nose is a bit more rustic with some earth and burnt sugar (from oak?). It’s more on the Bitters side of things along with grilled orange peel, a touch of some medicinal notes and a bit of stewed cherry.  The palate is far more bitter than the Dolin, not really astringent but very much like dried orange pith.  It’s not a sipper…nope.  It feels more acidic and has a sharp mid palate of bitter orange that carries to the shortish finish.  Medium bodied it shows off the alcohol ever so slightly.  Not my favorite, but we will see how it fares as a Manhattan component.

Our Classic Manhattan recipe

  • 2 parts Canadian Whisky (I opt for the Kirkland Signature, at $20 for 1.75 ltr it’s damn good)
  • 1 part Sweet Vermouth (Usually the Dolin, at $17 a bottle it’s middle of the road on price)
  • dash of Angostura bitters (Not too much as the Vermouth is inherently bitter)
  • dash of Luxardo cherry juice (It HAS to be Luxardo, anything else is crap)
  • Shake well with ice and serve garnished with a Luxardo cherry or two