This vermouth is dry and quite bitter. This is a perfect vermouth for a dry martini, but also highly enjoyable on its own for those fond of bitter flavors. You may reduce the bitter ingredients by a full half if you don’t enjoy overly bitter, leaving the herbs to shine.
Ingredients
- ¼ teaspoon wormwood
- ¼ teaspoon angelica root
- ¼ teaspoon valerian root
- ¼ teaspoon gentian root
- ¼ teaspoon quassia amara bark
- ⅛ teaspoon dandelion root
- ⅛ teaspoon cascara sagrada
- ⅛ teaspoon orris root
- 1 teaspoon dried lemongrass leaves
- 1 teaspoon dried grapefruit peel
- ½ teaspoon dried lemon peel
- ½ teaspoon cracked coriander
- 1 tablespoon dried chamomile
- ½ teaspoon cracked fennel seed
- 1 tablespoon dried lemon verbena
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon bark
- ½ teaspoon dried tangerine peel
- ½ teaspoon cracked white pepper
- 1 tablespoon dried pink rose petals
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh lemongrass bulb
- 5 rosemary needles (leaves only)
- 2 sage leaves
- 2 fresh lavender flowers
- 3-4 fresh celery leaves
- A few leaves of anise hyssop or fresh tarragon
- 3-4 coriander flowers (optional)
- 1 makrut lime leaf
- 3 (3-inch) strips fresh grapefruit peel
- 2 (2-inch) strips fresh lemon peel
- 2 (1-inch) strips fresh lime peel
- 2 (3-inch) strips fresh pomelo peel
- ¼ cup honey, with pinch of salt
- 1 bottle (750 ml) acidic, dry white wine with a good amount of minerality and viscosity
- ¾ cup unaged brandy (I used Scribe White Pressed Pinot Noir and Oakland Spirits Company Marjoram-flavored Brandy.)
Preparation
Place 1 cup wine, honey and the pinch of salt in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir to melt the honey, then add the bitters and dried botanicals and cook over medium heat for a few more minutes, stirring often. Reduce the temperature to low and cook for another 7 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely.
Strain out the solids and place the cooled liquid in a large jar with a sealable lid. Add the remainder of the wine, the fortifier, the fresh ingredients and citrus peels, and place in the refrigerator to steep for 12 hours.
Strain, discarding the solids, and taste to determine if you want to add any additional botanicals or fresh ingredients, to enhance certain flavors. The final product should taste dry and bitter, with a tinge of herbal and citrus essence. To achieve this, at this point I added a tiny bit more quassia bark, celery leaf and makrut lime leaf and allowed the mixture to infuse for another 4 hours in the refrigerator.
Once the vermouth has achieved your desired flavor, strain the liquid into a storage vessel, seal and keep in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Vermouth Cocktail:
To make a Reverse Martini (Stirred), place 3 ounces of Bitter Vermouth Sec and 1 ounce of your choice of vodka or gin into a mixing glass and fill with ice. Stir for 30 seconds, until the liquid is well chilled. Strain into a chilled glass, with or without additional ice. Twist the peel of a lemon over the glass, expressing its oils into the cocktail, then rub the peel over the rim of the glass before dropping it into the cocktail.
About this recipe
PAIRING SUGGESTIONS
Spring Garlic-Flavored Castelvetrano Olives (see recipe on page 15), Valley Ford Creamery’s Estero Gold Reserve
