The Best Vermouth Brands You've Never Tried

Vermouth has been hiding in the back of your liquor cabinet for too long, and the bottle you have is probably oxidized beyond recognition. This is a fortified, aromatized wine. That means it has a shelf life, and it belongs in the refrigerator after opening. Treat it with the respect it deserves and it will transform your cocktails and your aperitivo hour.

Cocchi Vermouth di Torino is the gold standard for sweet vermouth. Produced in Asti, Italy, since 1891, it has a rich, bittersweet complexity with notes of cacao, vanilla, and dried herbs. Use it in a Negroni or a Manhattan and you will immediately taste the difference compared to whatever mass-market bottle you have been using.

Dolin Dry from Chambéry, France, is the vermouth that changed the martini for bartenders worldwide. It is light, floral, and subtly herbal without the medicinal bitterness that turns people off from dry vermouth. At around fifteen dollars a bottle, it punches well above its price. Drink it chilled on its own with an olive and you will understand why the French do not consider vermouth a mere ingredient.

Lustau Vermut from Jerez, Spain, ages in solera-system sherry casks, giving it a nuttiness and depth that is completely unique. It works beautifully in a Negroni variation or sipped over ice with a strip of orange peel. Carpano Antica Formula is the most famous premium sweet vermouth and earns its reputation, though at around thirty-five dollars a bottle, it is an investment.

For something truly off the beaten path, try Lo-Fi Aperitifs from Napa Valley. Their dry vermouth is made with California wine and botanicals like chamomile, elderflower, and orange peel. It is modern American vermouth that respects European tradition while carving its own identity. The sweet vermouth from Contratto, another historic Italian producer, is worth seeking out for its elegant, less sugary profile.

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