Build a Better Bar IQ: Vermouth

Whenever someone asks for a martini at the bar, I inevitably follow that order with a question: Would you like any vermouth in that?  Some people look at me like I asked them if I could take a swing at them with a baseball bat.  Others say, “Only a splash” or “In and out”.  It pains me vermouth has lost its place in the martini or depending on the style, as an aperitif.

Most people’s first interaction with vermouth was with that bottle that sat on their parents’ liquor shelf for years. You reached for it, tasted it, and immediately thought what evil person would ever invent such a thing! The first problem with this is that vermouth probably should have been thrown out the week after G. Gordon Liddy was caught snooping around the Watergate, and you tried that bottle when Reagan was shot outside of the Hilton.

You see, vermouth is wine based, and just like that bottle you opened two nights ago, it has a limited life span.  Its origins go back to Turin, Italy when Carpano started making the first branded vermouth in 1786. Turin was then in the Savoy Kingdom which occupied most of northwest Italy. At the time, the winemakers didn't make the best wines (Hard to imagine that being the case given the great wines of the Piedmont today). As a result, both winemakers and shopkeepers started adding various herbs and spices to the wines to make them more palatable. One of the more popular additions was wormwood, or as the Germans called it, “vermud”, hence the name vermouth.

To me, vermouth is essential in a martini. I love the multi-layered flavors coming through. At home, I might be one of the more liberal users of vermouth. My martinis are equal parts vermouth and gin. I love vermouth on the rocks during the summer. That limited lifespan I referred to earlier? I don’t have to worry about that. Now, I don’t ask you to love it as much as I do, but I will ask you give it a chance. You’ll be glad you did. 

-- Jeff

Bar Manager and Mixologist Jeff Faile

Build a Better Bar IQ

Sometimes people will ask me why I am stirring this drink or shaking another. There’s a simple rule of thumb to it all. If it’s a cocktail such as a Manhattan or Martini or in other words nothing but sprits/liquor, you should stir it. The purpose of the addition of ice to a cocktail is to dilute the drink to make it easier to consume. If you stir a Martini, for instance, you’ll still get the true flavor of the gin or vodka in the drink. Since it’s stirred, however, the dilution is over the moment it’s left the mixing glass, and you’re left with an almost silky texture to the drink. Now, if you shake your Martini you’ll not only have ice chips in the drink which will continue to dilute both the drink and flavor, but you’ll also have air bubbles in the cocktail that take away from the texture and flavor as a result.

So, when should you shake and why? When your cocktail has a spirit and a mixer such as a citrus juice of some sort, shake it. Sure, it’s going to give your drink a “cloudy” look to it, but that will settle down in no time. Also, the acidity of the citrus will have already taken away from any silky texture of the drink. Shake away! The extra dilution from the shaking will take that acidity. An example? Let’s talk about the gimlet; gin, lime juice and simple syrup. Sure it’s a basic recipe, but it’s so delicious. This drink should be shaken. You should shake it until you see condensation on the shaker. After that, strain the drink through out of the shaker through a tea strainer before it reaches your favorite martini glass. This captures any chipped ice preventing any further dilution of the drink.

There you have it; two examples of when to shake and when to stir. While some of us bartenders are eccentric, there is a reason to our madness sometimes. Try a shaken and stirred martini next to each other at home and see which you like better. All science and reasons aside, it’s all about which one you think tastes better.

Cheers,

Jeff Faile

Bar Manager & Mixologist