The basics of vermouth

Vermouths are made with many different spices and herbs. Some producers that have been around hundreds of years claim to use more than two hundred. There is no unique recipe for vermouth. Everybody makes their own version.

In its essence vermouth is a fortified wine that combines a light white wine(Pinot Grigio, Grüner Veltliner or similar), a spirit (brandy, grappa, eau de vie, cognac), wormwood (wermut in German), and extra ingredients for flavor ( herbs, spices, fruit peels, and caramel).

mise en place

In this photo you can see the ingredients we added in a ten litre batch we made not too long ago:

• Wormwood
• Gentian root
• Coriander
• Whole cloves
• Juniper berries
• Black peppercorns
• Dried chamomille
• Ground ginger
• Freshly grated nutmeg
• Fennel seeds
• Crumbled angelica root
• Dried marjoram
• Vanilla bean
• Dried rosemary
• Dried sage
• Cinnamon sticks
• Star anise
• Dried oregano
• Bay leaves
• Hyssop
• Bitter orange peel