This vermouth bursts with spring herbs that deliver a crisp, clean taste. It’s bright, fresh, herbaceous and citrusy. It contains a pleasant amount of bitterness, balanced by a nudge of honey, citrus and floral notes.
Ingredients
- ¼ teaspoon wormwood
- ¼ teaspoon dandelion root
- ¼ teaspoon licorice root
- ¼ teaspoon gentian root
- ¼ teaspoon angelica root
- ½ teaspoon orris root
- 1 teaspoon dried pink rose petals
- 1 tablespoon dried chamomile
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon bark
- ½ teaspoon dried lemon peel
- ½ teaspoon dried grapefruit peel
- ½ teaspoon cracked coriander
- ½ teaspoon cracked pink peppercorns
- 2 thin strips fresh ginger, peeled, 1-inch long
- 1 small handful coriander flowers (optional)
- 2 thin strips parsley root (optional)
- 2 Makrut lime leaves, crushed and bruised
- 2 sprigs anise hyssop, leaves, stems and flowers (sub fresh tarragon)
- 2 sprigs parsley leaves and stems
- 2 sprigs Thai basil
- 5 pea flowers
- 2 handfuls of pea tendrils
- 3 sorrel leaves
- 4 nasturtium leaves and 2 flowers (optional)
- 2 (3-inch) strips grapefruit peel
- 3 (2-inch) strips lemon peel
- 3 (3-inch) strips pomelo peel
- ¼ cup honey, with pinch of salt
- 1 bottle (750 ml) acidic, dry white wine with a good amount of minerality
- ¾ cup unaged brandy (I used Idlewild Flora & Fauna white wine and Oakland Spirits Company Shiso 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 5 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. At this point I added a tiny bit more orris root, dried grapefruit peel, parsley root, pea tendrils, parsley and fresh pomelo peel and allowed the mixture to infuse for another 6 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:
Turn this vermouth into a lighter Vermouth Spritz Blanc by filling a glass with ice, adding 3 ounces of Spring Herb Vermouth Blanc and topping with 2–3 ounces of soda water. Garnish with a lemon peel and a pea flower blossom (if you are lucky enough to have one!).
About this recipe
PAIRING SUGGESTIONS
Vermouth-Pickled Sugar Snap Peas (see recipe on page 15), Laura Chenel’s Orange Blossom Honey Chevre, Cowgirl Creamery’s Hop Along
