Vermouth

4. August 2017
by Rienne
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Vermouth is amazing! Good for you, interesting and possible to make at home, even if you live in a city. I plan to collect the herbs on my jogs to make my own local Vermouth using wine and herbs from the Rhein.

To understand vermouth, one first must understand aperitif wines. Aperitif derives from the Latin aperire, which is the verb “to open,” in the sense of opening up the appetite. All true aperitifs carry a bittersweet character that stimulates the production of gastric juices and promotes appetite.- Sounds unpleasant but very helpful!

Aperitif wines are aromatized wines. Means that the wine has been infused with botanicals that add flavor, color and the stimulating affects.

The roots of aperitif wine lie in the practice of doctoring poor wine to make it more palatable, and in the creation of ancient medicines and tonics. In 18th Century Italy, France and Spain—all lands in which the Romans spread winemaking centuries before—commercial aperitif production emerged with a focus on craft and consistency. So…..grab a glass of this amazing concoction of gin meets wine meets homeopathic remedy meets tasty.

http://www.alpenz.com/portfolio.htm is a spirit importer into the USA but they have a great breakdown of Vermouth in the portfolio along with information on lots of important classic products.

Make your own Vermouth. This recipe is from www.seriouseats.com but I believe can adapted to local ingredients. If you are not a skilled forager then you can also get herbs and fruits at the local farmers market.

Homemade Sweet Vermouth

Ingredients

  • 1 orange
  • 3 1/4 cups white wine, divided
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1 teaspoon dried chamomile
  • 8 cardamom pods
  • 1 star anise
  • 1 teaspoon dried lavender
  • 1/4 teaspoon wormwood leaf
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup boiling water
  • 1/2 cup brandy
  • 1/2 cup sweet or India sherry

Directions

  1. Zest the orange and set aside the rest of the orange for another use.
  2. Pour 1 cup of the wine into a pot and set the rest aside. Add all the orange zest, cinnamon stick, chamomile, cardamom, star anise, lavender, and wormwood and cook on medium heat until it comes to a boil, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Strain out solids and return liquid to the pot.
  3. In a separate pot, pour in the sugar and cook on medium heat, stirring frequently, to caramelize it. Once sugar melts into a caramel-colored liquid, in about 5 minutes, turn off the heat and let caramelized sugar cool.
  4. Bring the water to a boil in a saucepan or tea kettle, then measure 1/4 cup and slowly pour it into caramelized sugar, stirring as you pour. Be careful!
  5. Add remaining wine (2 1/4 cups) to the herb-infused wine. Bring it to a boil, then pour it slowly into the pot of caramelized sugar syrup, stirring frequently to integrate them. Add brandy and sherry, then let cool. Pour cooled mixture into a bottle, seal and store in the refrigerator.