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The Other Vermouth


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I enjoy reading William L. Hamilton's weekly Fashion and Style column.

I thought perhaps this one may be of interest since there has been another round of discussion on that almighty Martini. :cool:

While ultrapremium gins and vodkas make splashy entrances in martinis all over town, segregating drinkers into two camps like a turf war at a club, no one is paying much attention to what goes with them.

It's vermouth, of course, and generally it is not encouraged to speak up.

* * * * * *

But some of the more stylish players on the cocktail scene are hitting on a different flavor: sweet vermouth.

Today's article here.

Cheers!

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It's not what I call a martini (I'm strictly a Tanqueryand Noilly Prat kinda guy, with a twist) but it is a nice change of pace.

That's exactly how I usually take my martinis, but I like the sweet vermouth ones too, sometimes quite a bit. The secret, I think, is not to call it a Martini--call it a Bradford (with a dash of orange bitters and a lemon twist) or a Brighton (same, but no twist), a Chanler (twist, no bitters) or a Hearst (no twist, but orange bitters again and a dash of Angostura)* or anything you want but "Martini" and it'll somehow mysteriously taste better--in my experience, anyway. Once I get that image of a crystalline, icy-cold "see-through" out of my head, one of these stops seeming like a Martini that's made a wrong turn somewhere and appears as a cocktail in its own right. Maybe I just like fooling myself.

*These are all from the Old Waldorf-Astoria, pre-Prohibition. Also wonderful is the old San Martin (aka Sand Martin, wrongly), which is simply two parts gin to one part sweet vermouth, with a dash of yellow--not green--Chartreuse.

aka David Wondrich

There are, according to recent statistics, 147 female bartenders in the United States. In the United Kingdom the barmaid is a feature of the wayside inn, and is a young woman of intelligence and rare sagacity. --The Syracuse Standard, 1895

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This sounds like a great combination, and I'm kicking myself for not thinking of it myself. It's so obvious! Will be trying this soonest with a nice strong-flavored gin and some Vya sweet vermouth.

--

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