Domestic and Home-Grown Vermouths
Like Portland, Chicago seems a hotbed of vermouth enthusiasm. White Oak Tavern & Inn stocks about 10, all domestic “to correspond to the local mantra of menu,” says Michael Pickering, general manager and sommelier. Interrobang sweet, Imube’s Petal & Thorn, and Hammer & Tongs “Sac’Resine” lead the way at White Oak, which also offers a vermouth flight.
At Chicago’s The Publican, beverage manager Chase “Cha Cha” Bracamontes has started making her own vermouth, a trend seen mostly in bars with a high volume in cocktails or a strong wine connection.
A great deal on 50 cases of wine gave Bracamontes the chance to experiment in making her own. Her first batch was complete late December 2015.
Rather than trying to duplicate any particular vermouth style, Bracamontes is looking to create something new that can be a signature sort of offering for the Publican. As a fan of vermouth for its low-alcohol quaffability, appetizing and digestive qualities, she finds the traits they lend to cocktails appealing.
“They are a great way to bridge spirits and other herbal ingredients―a way to make something not too heavy,” Bracamontes says. About half of the Publican’s listed cocktails include vermouth, and there’s a separate aperitif menu that features them.
The newer domestic brands are stretching the flavor definition of vermouth: Eggleston likens the more assertively herbal to the bold and brassy IPAs so popular.
Oso’s Howard says that vermouth’s herbal qualities really attract bartenders. “When you use them, you can have fewer ingredients in a cocktail, because there are so many different flavors that these vermouths already have, as well as a really nice bitterness. You can skip a few extra steps and still get herbal and sweetness into a well-rounded cocktail.”
Some of the vermouths Oso carries, imported by small wine companies rather than spirit importers, are unfamiliar to visiting bartenders who may not have been exposed to them before. And some of the older brands still retain the quirky, old fashioned labels that attract the attention of both bartenders and customers, aiding in building interest.
“Unknown bottles are often conversation starters,” says Eggleston, and then become talking points for Nico’s bar and service staff. Customers today not only query him on what whiskey is used in their Manhattans, but also what vermouth.
Nico’s bartenders routinely offer a taste if a customer shows interest, Eggleston says. “Because they are fresh, not oxidized and served chilled, they open lots of eyes to what vermouth really is.”
Jack Robertiello is a spirits writer based in Brooklyn, NY.