Sunday, March 1, 2009

Sweet Vermouth

As part of the Rye Whiskey tasting, Rob and I decided that we needed to do a head-to-head vermouth challenge. This tasting focused on the merits of the vermouths as stand-alone beverages. More to come in the future with ratings in mixed drinks.

An interesting, if controversial vermouth tasting on Cocktailnerd's blog here. Controversial because of Martini & Rossi's poor showing. I maintain that he got hold of a bad bottle. All of the vermouths in this tasting were fresh with the exception of the Punt e Mes, which was probably at least a year old (but has been stored in the refrigerator).

The contenders:

1. Martini & Rossi
2. Noilly Prat
3. Cinzano
4. Carpano Antica Formula
5. Carpano Punt e Mes

Tasting Notes:

1. Martini & Rossi
Matt's Notes
Sweet with some complex spices and nice bitterness. A nice balance.
Rating - 90

Rob's Notes
Thyme and dark fruits on the nose. Cola and cherry on the palate. Short finish
Rating - 85

2. Noilly Prat
Matt's Notes
Sweet plum fruit. Cloying sweetness - too flowery and lacking in depth.
Rating - 86

Rob's Notes
Ralph (barf) on the nose. Clean on the palate with a slightly bitter finish.
Rating - 81

3. Cinzano
Matt's Notes
Aromas and flavors of pizza sauce. Cloyingly sweet and spicy.
Rating - 84

Rob's Notes
Grassy and herbaceous on the nose. Funky mid-palate.
Rating - 83

4. Carpano Antica Formula
Matt's Notes
Heavy licorice elements on the nose. Some mulling spices (clove) on the nose and palate. Very complex on the palate with a nice balance and clean finish
Rating - 93

Rob's Notes
Underberg (Swiss bitters brand) aromas with clove and allspice on the nose. Nutmeg and cinnamon on the palate. Cloves on the finish.
Rating - 90

5. Carpano Punt e Mes
Matt's Notes
Murky with scents of molasses on the nose. Nice sweetness and bitterness on the finish.
Rating - 90

Rob's Notes
Soy on the nose. Darker on the palate with a sweet tang.
Rating - 85

Overall Ratings:
*** First Place ***
Carpano Antica Formula (93/90)
Unanimously voted the best of the bunch. Great complexity. Not too sweet with lots of spice, great balance and a clean finish. The only one of the bunch we would consider sipping on its own.

** Second Place (tie)**
Carpano Punt e Mes (90/85)
Martini & Rossi (90/85)
Both Rob and I had these tied for second place. The Martini & Rossi was the clear leader of the "standard" sweet vermouths for use, while the Punt e Mes offered a slightly richer and more bitter character.

* The Rest *
Matt
#3 Noilly Prat (86)
#4 Cinzano (84)

Rob
#3 Cinzano (83)
#4 Noilly Prat (81)

Final Notes - I had a slightly higher slant toward my scoring of these vermouths. This was both of our first times trying Carpano Antica Formula which was an excellent vermouth. This tasting confirmed Martini & Rossi as our favorite "standard" red vermouth (which I was concerned about after reading Cocktailnerd's review). Carpano Punt e Mes offers a richer, more bitter character for those inclinded toward such a thing. Noilly Prat and Cinzano were average performers and based on my infrequent use of sweet vermouth, are unlikely future purchases.

Final Final Note - I'd like to leave you with the quote from the bottle neck tag on the Carpano Antica Formula: ...Its special taste will conquer you for its refinement and rare bitter-sweet persistence. Consider me conquered.

6 comments:

  1. Great post! Among my faves. Have been following your advice for a long time about going Italian for sweet vermouth and French for dry vermouth - so I am happy that the Martini & Rossi is still the best bet for an easy to find, inexpensive standard. I am very excited to try both of the Carpano vermouths to see if I can taste the differences. Also, to try your recommendations for excellent Manhattan making.

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  2. Both of the Carpano vermouths are distinctive and really stand out among the rest of the group. They are quite a bit more expensive ($20 for the Punt e Mes and $30 for the Antica Formula) but worth seeking out. The Punt e Mes is available at Bevmo. I got the Antica Formula at Hi Time.

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  3. So do I have to refrigerate vermouth? What's the shelf life with and without refrigeration?

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  4. I always refrigerate my vermouth. I try to use it within a year or less.

    Some references with storage discussion:

    http://marriedwithdinner.com/2007/12/06/a-sweet-italian-sip/

    http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/366223

    http://epicurious.blogs.com/bonappetit__editor/2007/10/life-behind-b-2.html

    http://thespiritworld.net/2007/06/04/vermouth/

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  5. i,ve had a bottle of cinzano bianco in a dark cupboard for about 10 years is it still ok.

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  6. Hey Guys, I am kind of shocked that you did not include Dolin Sweet Vermouth in this tasting as it is a fantastic brand, in my opinion, and relatively easy to find.

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