{"id":1866,"date":"2017-06-28T12:54:51","date_gmt":"2017-06-28T19:54:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/shakennotstirred.us\/?p=1866"},"modified":"2017-06-28T12:54:51","modified_gmt":"2017-06-28T19:54:51","slug":"does-vermouth-matter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/shakennotstirred.us\/?p=1866","title":{"rendered":"Does Vermouth Matter?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Vermouth<\/p>\n

Of course it does.\u00a0\u00a0 Vermouth transforms chilled gin into a Martini!\u00a0 Therefore it is indeed a magical liquid!<\/p>\n

But what type of Vermouth?\u00a0 Will just any do?\u00a0 Is there a difference?<\/p>\n

I’ve already written about the importance of keeping your chosen Vermouth chilled (Vermouth Storage?<\/a>) and how much to add (How Dry Can You Go?<\/a>).\u00a0\u00a0 This article discusses the impact of different Vermouths.<\/p>\n

First of all lets get the sweet vs. dry Vermouth settled.\u00a0 The original “traditional” martini calls for dry Vermouth.\u00a0 All of my previous reviews and comments on Martinis have used dry Vermouth.\u00a0 If you use sweet Vermouth then you’re making a ‘Sweet Martini’.\u00a0 And there’s nothing wrong with that, if that’s your preference.<\/p>\n

So, does it really matter which dry Vermouth?<\/p>\n

I set up a little Martini taste test with a couple of popular and readily available Dry Vermouths:\u00a0 Martini & Rossi (15% ABV), Noilly Prat (18% ABV), and Dolin (17.5% ABV).\u00a0\u00a0 The Martinis were prepared with New Amsterdam Gin.\u00a0 This was chosen because it is pretty neutral with mild juniper and slightly on the sweet side. The proportions were 2 1\/2 oz. Gin and 1\/2 oz. Vermouth. For simplicity and consistency there was no garnish.<\/p>\n

I then wrangled up a small team of amateur tasters to sample each of these Martinis.\u00a0 I emphasize “Amateur”.\u00a0 Initially some of the team were a bit dubious about the whole process, but eventually we all had a good time.\u00a0 The team, self dubbed the “The Taste Buds<\/em><\/strong>“, tried each Vermouth in identical chilled Martinis and then by a few also tried the Vermouths neat at room temperature.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Martini Tasting Notes:<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\nDolin<\/strong><\/td>\nNoilly Prat<\/strong><\/td>\nMartini & Rossi<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Color<\/td>\nClear<\/td>\nVery pale yellow<\/td>\nAlmost clear, tinge of Yellow<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
W1<\/td>\nSweet<\/td>\nSweet+<\/td>\nSweet-, Tart, Earthy, Spicy<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
W2<\/td>\nDry, Spicy (Ginger?)<\/td>\nSpicy-, more Bold<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
C<\/td>\nFruity, Floral<\/td>\nDryer, less Fruity<\/td>\nCitrus, Sweet<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
L<\/td>\n“Meh”, Fruity, Tangy<\/td>\n“Punched in Face”<\/td>\nSmooth, Sweet<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
R<\/td>\nSimilar to “NP”<\/td>\nSimilar to “D”<\/td>\nHarsher<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Each taster offered honest comments as they saw fit.\u00a0 Some were comparative, some were impressions, some tried to discern individual flavors or aromas.\u00a0 There isn’t any consistency, nor should there be.\u00a0 The bottom line is, by unanimous agreement, that the different Vermouths affected the taste of the Martinis.<\/p>\n

I asked each ‘Taste Bud’ to choose a first and second favorite Vermouth with 2 points awarded to a first choice and 1 point awarded to the second choice.\u00a0 The ‘winner’ was Dolin, Matini & Rossi came in 2nd, and NP finished last.\u00a0 For what it’s worth, I was the only who liked the Noilly Prat the best!<\/p>\n

Only Vermouth Tasting Notes (room temp):
\nDolin:\u00a0 <\/strong>Spicy Aroma, Floral, Sweet, Earthy Front End, Little Spicy, Little Earthy, No aftertaste
\nNoilly Prat: <\/strong>Musty Aroma (port?), Lots of Grape, Bold, Spicy, Earthy, Bitter Finish, Neutral
\nMartini & Rossi:\u00a0 <\/strong>Musty Aroma, Bitter Grape, Earthy, Citrusy, “most like white wine”
\nI made no attempt to attribute these comments to the tasters.<\/p>\n

As a side comment, I personally sampled these Vermouths well chilled.\u00a0 The only difference I noted from the room temperature tastings were that the chilled samples were less pungent.\u00a0 As expected.<\/p>\n

Conclusions:\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>
\nFirst, each of the sample Vermouths were individually different.\u00a0 More so than I expected.\u00a0 While they are all fortified wines with definite grape flavor, the method of fortification varies as does the underlying wine base.<\/p>\n

Second, while the Vermouths were indeed different, everyone agreed that their impact on the overall taste of the Martini was minimal.\u00a0 Discernible, yes, but the biggest impact to the taste of the Martini is, as it should be, the Gin!<\/p>\n

Third, while minimal, the review team were unanimous in the opinion that the choice of Vermouth does change the taste of the Martini.\u00a0 So, YES, your choice of Vermouth does matter.<\/p>\n

Final though:\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>
\nIt is definitely worth exploring different Vermouths, especially if you have a favorite Gin.\u00a0 You might just find one that perfectly compliments your chosen Gin.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Of course it does.\u00a0\u00a0 Vermouth transforms chilled gin into a Martini!\u00a0 Therefore it is indeed a magical liquid! But what type of Vermouth?\u00a0 Will just any do?\u00a0 Is there a difference? I’ve already written about the importance of keeping your … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0},"categories":[17,10,36],"tags":[9,40,6],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1277,"url":"http:\/\/shakennotstirred.us\/?p=1277","url_meta":{"origin":1866,"position":0},"title":"How Dry Can You Go?","author":"wlmoon58","date":"January 22, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"How Dry is Dry?\u00a0 Can a Martini by \"too\" Dry?\u00a0\u00a0 It's a subject that attracts a lot of humor, such as: \u201cA perfect martini should be made by filling a glass with gin then waving it in the general direction of Italy.\u201d No\u00ebl Coward \u201cI would like to observe the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General Amusement"","block_context":{"text":"General Amusement","link":"http:\/\/shakennotstirred.us\/?cat=35"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/shakennotstirred.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Vermouth-Ad-1-206x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":250,"url":"http:\/\/shakennotstirred.us\/?p=250","url_meta":{"origin":1866,"position":1},"title":"Vermouth Storage?","author":"wlmoon58","date":"April 17, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"One of my readers asked about storing Vermouth in the refrigerator.\u00a0 To be honest I've not thought much about Vermouth as I like my martinis dry.\u00a0 But I do put a splash in my martini.\u00a0 Thinking back I realize that the taste is different depending on how long my bottle\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "How To"","block_context":{"text":"How To","link":"http:\/\/shakennotstirred.us\/?cat=17"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":39,"url":"http:\/\/shakennotstirred.us\/?p=39","url_meta":{"origin":1866,"position":2},"title":"The Martini, Part One","author":"wlmoon58","date":"January 8, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"The concept of a \u201cPerfect\u201d Martini is often discussed and rarely achieved. What is it? How is it made? Before we can discuss the \u201cPerfect\u201d Martini, we must define a Martini. Merriam-Webster: An alcoholic drink made with gin and vermouth; also: a similar drink made with vodka instead of gin.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Gin"","block_context":{"text":"Gin","link":"http:\/\/shakennotstirred.us\/?cat=11"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1058,"url":"http:\/\/shakennotstirred.us\/?p=1058","url_meta":{"origin":1866,"position":3},"title":"The Perfect Martini Process, V1.0","author":"wlmoon58","date":"November 8, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Since this blog has existed I've advocated and supported the concept that your Perfect Martini is just that, yours.\u00a0 My Perfect Martini is mine.\u00a0 And the two may not be identical.\u00a0\u00a0 What is important is that we find that which works for each of us. Having said that, I thought\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Gin"","block_context":{"text":"Gin","link":"http:\/\/shakennotstirred.us\/?cat=11"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1877,"url":"http:\/\/shakennotstirred.us\/?p=1877","url_meta":{"origin":1866,"position":4},"title":"The Perfect Martini Process, V2.0","author":"wlmoon58","date":"March 2, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"I wrote The Perfect Martini Process, V1.0 back in November of 2015, though it didn't have the \"V1.0\" notation back then.\u00a0 Since then, I've been thinking that it really needed an update to make it more readable, logically organized, and visually appealing. So I've created \"V2.0\".\u00a0\u00a0 The information and process\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "How To"","block_context":{"text":"How To","link":"http:\/\/shakennotstirred.us\/?cat=17"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/shakennotstirred.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/Martini-with-Twist.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":48,"url":"http:\/\/shakennotstirred.us\/?p=48","url_meta":{"origin":1866,"position":5},"title":"My Preference","author":"wlmoon58","date":"January 16, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"I think it only fair to let you, my dedicated reader, know my preferences.\u00a0\u00a0 I order Bombay Sapphire Martini shaken with just a splash of Vermouth served in a very well chilled Martini glass with a twist of lemon. I will occasionally order Bombay Sapphire East, when available. If so\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Gin"","block_context":{"text":"Gin","link":"http:\/\/shakennotstirred.us\/?cat=11"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/shakennotstirred.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1866"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/shakennotstirred.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/shakennotstirred.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/shakennotstirred.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/shakennotstirred.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1866"}],"version-history":[{"count":27,"href":"http:\/\/shakennotstirred.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1866\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2102,"href":"http:\/\/shakennotstirred.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1866\/revisions\/2102"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/shakennotstirred.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1866"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/shakennotstirred.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1866"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/shakennotstirred.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1866"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}