Martini Vermouth
Country of Origin: Italy
Martini Vermouth was originally developed by an unlikely pair: a clever entrepreneur and a master herbalist. But when Alessandro Martini and Luigi Rossi took over the National Wine & Spirits Distillery in a small village near Turin, a famous product was developed. It was in 1863 that Martini’s enterprising spirit and Rossi’s creative genius were galvanised into a vermouth that has endured for more than 150 years.
From the aromatic botanicals of the famous vermouth to the golden effervescence of the Asti wines, Martini’s influence has spanned continents around the world for decades.
What is Vermouth
Vermouth is an aromatised, fortified wine flavoured with various botanicals (roots, barks, flowers, seeds, herbs, and spices) and sometimes coloured.
The modern versions of the beverage were first produced in the mid to late 18th century in Turin, Italy. While vermouth was traditionally used for medicinal purposes, its true claim to fame is as an apéritif, with fashionable cafés in Turin s. In the late 19th century it became popular with bartenders as a key ingredient in many classic cocktails that have survived to date such as the Martini, the Manhattan, the Rob Roy, and the Negroni.
Martini Bianco Vermouth
A medium dry vermouth from Martini which is flavoured with white wine, Alpine herbs and vanilla and is slightly sweeter because of it.
Dubbed the ‘Bianchissimo’, or the whitest, for the vanilla flowers at its heart, Martini Bianco’s blend of herbs, flowers and white wines such as Trebbiano creates a bright, complex flavour.
Tasting Notes
Appearance: Clear, very pale golden colour
Aroma: Peach-raspberry, citrus, tobacco ash and fresh bay leaf
Taste: Quite rich, apples baked with ginger and cinnamon, herbal bitterness, honey, vanilla and zesty lemon
Aftertaste: Sweet apple finish with light cinnamon spice
Martini Extra Dry Vermouth
Martini white wine base and herbal ingredients, but with a much reduced level of additional sugar for a dry, but not bitter, vermouth. Martini Extra Dry was unveiled on New Year’s Day in 1900. It is generally used as an ingredient in a Dry Martini Cocktail.
Appearance: Clear, pale gold with grassy green tints
Aroma: Delicate perfume nose with raspberry, peachy melon, apple flesh, lemon and subtle aromas of acacia honey
Taste: Apple skin flavour with a background of orris, slight touches of wood and balanced acidity. Mid-palate delivers a rooty flavour and reasonably dry
Aftertaste: Light, zesty, fragrant, cinnamon apple and white peach finish
Martini Rosso Vermouth
Originally developed by Rossi in the 1860’s, the recipe has been passed down through of the company’s Master Herbalists. A large proportion of Italian herbs are used in the making of this vermouth. An equal ingredient for a Negroni Cocktail.
Appearance: Clear, red-brown colour
Aroma: Fruity, tobacco nose with bay leaf, aromas and whiffs of what is compared to the strike pad on a box of matches before it has been struck
Taste: Complex. Perfumed bitter-sweet palate shows great finesse with notes of tobacco leaf, espresso, cinnamon, liquorice, anise and nutmeg and a slight fruity note
Aftertaste: Delicate, rich and complex
Cocktail Recommendation
MARTINI ROYALE
Equipment
- Wine goblet
- Bar spoon
Ingredients
- 75ml Martini Bianco
- 75ml Martini Prosecco or Zonin Prosecco
- Freshly squeezed lime juice
- Lime wedge
- Fresh mint leaves
- Cubed ice
How to mix
- Squeeze juice from half a lime into a large wine glass
- Add the Martini Bianco then fill the glass with 8 or so ice cubes and top up with the same about of Martini Prosecco
- Stir gently with a bar spoon so as not lose bubbles and drop in a fresh lime wedge
- Brush mint on the top of glass and place it on top of the drink as a garnish
IQPS Trading is a premium wine, spirit, beverage and water supplier and distributor in Phnom Penh and Cambodia, and is the official supplier / distributor of Martini Vermouth in Cambodia. IQPS Trading can assist with staff training, wine list design and creation, events and other industry needs.
(Note: Tasting notes sourced from Diffords Guide)
