It’s World Vermouth Day on 21st March – yes it may be a Monday but that’s not stopping us from celebrating – so we’ve rounded up some of the best vermouths for the occasion. Whether a negroni is your cocktail of choice or you like to spritz it up with some soda, these are the bottles you need.
Sipello
Made in the Surrey Hills, Sipello blends British ingredients like gooseberry, rhubarb and chuckleberry (yes it’s a real thing) with botanicals from around the world, including sandalwood, wormwood and gentian, so it’s both fruity and bitter – yes this is one versatile vermouth.
Savoia Americano
Created by renowned drinks innovator Giuseppe Gallo and made in Turin, Savoia Americano has a base of marsala wine and a botanical mix including bitter orange, artemisia and gentian root. It also brings sweet vermouth and red bitters together in one bottle, meaning it’s now even easier to mix up negronis and americanos at home.
Bolney Rosso Vermouth
Sussex winery Bolney’s Rosso vermouth takes inspo from the surrounding countryside with lots of hedgerow botanicals, including sloe and blackcurrant, in the bottles, giving notes of rosé, elderflower blossom and caramel. The sweetness and herbiness makes it great in a spritz or you can just pour it over ice and top up with tonic.
Ostara Vermouth
Made from wines from the South East and hedgerow botanicals, this English vermouth is unlike any other vermouth you’ll have tried before. The white has a grassy greenness from nettles, dandelion and burdock while the red is fruitier thanks to damson, bilberry and hawthorn berries – a great way to spruce up a negroni.
Discarded Sweet Cascara Vermouth
By giving their ingredients a second life, Discarded Spirits are able to make a dent in unnecessary food waste. Their vermouth is made out of the tonnes of cascara berries tossed away in coffee bean harvests. The berries are dried, fermented, steeped in alcohol and then blended with fortified wine to give this sweet vermouth its distinct notes of roasted coffee and peppery spiced finish.
El Bandarra White
If you want a real taste of Barcelona right here in London, just pop open a bottle of El Bandarra. It’s a homage to the vermouth culture and the tapas bars of the city, and made from Spanish wine and botanicals from the Med. The white one, made from Grenache and Xarel-lo grapes, is the sweetest and is super refreshing – like sunshine in a glass.