Vermouth seems to be everywhere these days, but what’s behind the steady rise in popularity of this bitter-sweet aromatised wine?
Anyone with a passing interest in cocktails will no doubt have come across the super-popular Negroni over the past few years. Made with equal parts gin, Italian bitters and sweet vermouth, this concoction packs quite a punch both in complex flavours and alcoholic strength. Or maybe variations such as the Sbagliato or Boulevardier are more to your tastes. In each case, vermouth is a cornerstone of these classic cocktails. But what exactly is vermouth, and why is it having such a moment?
Vermouth is a wine that has been lightly fortified by adding spirit and also aromatised by the addition of wormwood and other botanicals. Most vermouths will then also have some sugar added to balance the bitterness of the wormwood. It is this bitter botanical element which stimulates the appetite and lends vermouths to being served as an aperitif, or a pre-dinner drink.
The three main styles of vermouth
Sweet vermouth
A sweet vermouth will typically have a red hue. While the base wine for these vermouths used to be red wine, nowadays, most sweet vermouths are made using a white wine base, with colour being added. Sometimes referred to as Italian vermouth, this is the style used in the Negroni.
Dry vermouth
A dry vermouth will be white or pale yellow. As the name suggests, this is less sweetened than red vermouth, but it does still have a sweet element to balance the aromatic bitterness. This style, also sometimes referred to as French vermouth, is used in classic cocktails such as the Martini. Somewhat confusingly, if you want a high ratio of dry vermouth in your Martini, ask the bartender to ‘make it wet’.
Bianco vermouth
A bianco vermouth is similar to a dry vermouth but significantly sweeter, with prominent vanilla notes to accompany the bitter botanicals. This accessible style is used frequently in spritz-style drinks.
No matter what the style of vermouth it can be enjoyed on the rocks or in a highball such as a vermouth and tonic. Beyond the traditional strongholds of France, Spain and Italy, vermouths have been growing significantly in popularity, with global sales jumping from €8.7 billion in 2019 to $11.2 billion in 2024.
Negroni Sbagliato
One reason for this in the growing popularity of the Negroni and all of it’s cousins. While it has always had a place on classic cocktail lists, the Negroni has now made the leap into the mainstream, and is on every drinks menu from the multi-award-winning Dorchester Hotel bar to your local neighbourhood pub. While influencers such as Stanley Tucci have played a significant role in popularising the Negroni, several other elements have contributed to the growing popularity of vermouth.
Big on flavour, low on alcohol
Vermouth delivers amazing aromatic complexity for a relatively low alcohol content. While higher in alcohol (typically 15%-22% abv) than a regular still wine, vermouths tend to be consumed either over ice or in a highball. Compared to a gin & tonic for instance, a vermouth & tonic offers a comparable level of aromatic complexity, but at roughly half the alcohol level. This chimes with the current trend of mindful No/Low alcohol consumption, and is particularly popular with Millennials and Gen Z.
Vermouth's cocktail versatility
Offering an incredible breadth of flavour profiles, vermouth has a lot of bartender appeal. Beyond the three main styles of vermouth, there are also significant geographical differences in style. Spanish sweet vermouth for instance is quite different to Vermouth di Torino and what’s more there can be marked local differences depending on the base-wine and botanicals. The depth of flavour on offer makes vermouth a very attractive base or modifier for bartenders to play with. And because every cocktail bar will already have a couple of bottles of vermouth open at any given time, bar operators embrace using vermouths in multiple cocktails on their list to encourage sell-through rates.
The classic pairing of vermouth and tapas
Venue-friendly, pocket-friendly vermouth
Being easy to batch, and quick to serve may seem like unglamourous advantages, but to hard-pressed venue operators these characteristics are very desirable when putting drinks like Negronis on their cocktail lists.
If stored correctly, vermouth has a very long shelf-life compared to still wines, making it even more attractive to bar operators as a cost-efficient cocktail ingredient. And for the home bar, vermouths come in at an attractive range of retail prices, from entry level bottles at £10, to super-premium vermouths around the £30 mark.
Top tip: when storing vermouths at home, keep your opened bottles in the fridge and if possible, use a vacuum stopper to keep those botanical notes shining bright and reduce the risk of oxidation.
Exploration and innovation
Global travel has seen a remarkable recovery over the past couple of years. Holiday makers are travelling in a spirit of adventure much more and savouring local experiences. Whether that be enjoying vermouth and tapas on a trip to Spain or experiencing the wonderful flavour combinations of vermouth paired with salty chicetti in Venice. The herbal and citrus elements in dry vermouths for example match particularly well with white fish dishes.
Unless a bottle label reads ‘Vermouth di Torino’ the category does not have a legal geographical denomination, which means vermouth also lends itself to innovation. Local producers in every wine producing region at liberty to compliment the core wormwood bitterness with local botanicals to produce vermouths with distinctive terroir.
With such a broad range of flavour profiles within the category, there is a world of vermouth to explore these days. If you would like to learn more about vermouths and other aromatised wines, sign up for the WSET Level 3 Award in Spirits.
This blog post was written by Charlie McCarthy, WSET's Business Development Manager - Spirits. Charlie learned his craft behind some of London’s best cocktail bars, going on to develop a specialism in event bartending, which lead to brand advocacy projects with William Grant & Sons and Bacardi. Charlie has a wealth of experience delivering WSET masterclasses from Berlin to Singapore, training bar teams for Doyle Collection Hotels in London and Washington DC and designing cocktail menus for World Duty Free, Tullamore DEW & Marriott properties for the Gorgeous Group.
