What’s up with martinis that are like 99.9% booze? It’s really a chilled glass of vodka/gin. Give me vermouth, I say! I’m a big fan of the 50/50 martini and the reverse martini. The former is equal parts spirits and vermouth, while the latter is big on the vermouth with a tiny amount of spirits.
Both are discussed on the latest episode of the What We’re Tasting podcast. The topic is, you guessed it, vermouth. My guest is Kara Newman, spirits editor, book author, and all-around fun person to have a few cocktails with.
Image via Facebook/Lustau
I’d especially like to plug one of the three bottles highlighted in the episode, particularly because Kara brought it to the studio and we got to drink it as we recorded. It’s Lustau Vermut, made by the famed Sherry producer. The wine was stupendously fragrant and delicious. Most noteworthy, we drank it at room temperature. Serving vermouth like this is not great. Though since it was so fantastic I could only imagine how good it would be with some ice, a splash of club soda, and an orange peel garnish.
Explore three styles of this aromatized and fortified wine with your ears:
Why Vermouth Demands and Deserves Respect
Sidebar: If I had a band that was a duo maybe we would be called Aromatized & Fortified. Or perhaps that could be the name of our debut album? A single perhaps?
