Claire Drinks Recommended : La Fuerza Vermouth Rojo
Sweet vermouth, unarguably, is a home bartender’s essential and should be a standard in all drinks cabinets, for two reasons, the Negroni and the Manhattan.
The Negroni. A spirit-forward cocktail, is made by stirring 25 mls of gin, 25 mls of Campari and 25 mls of sweet vermouth, with ice and straining into a lowball glass filled with fresh ice, and garnishing with an orange slice. The Negroni simply cannot be made without vermouth. It provides the sweetness, that balances Campari’s bitterness, acidity for freshness and balance, and elevates the drinks’ botanical complexity. Bracing, for when your palate needs cleansing, and reviving, when your spirit needs restoring.
Another reason to need sweet vermouth is the Manhattan. 50 mls whiskey, 25 mls of sweet vermouth, a couple of dashes of Angostura Bitters, stirring again with ice, but this time straining into a chilled Nick and Nora glass. No need for fresh ice, this is a cocktail served straight up. The Manhattan calls for a maraschino cherry garnish (make it three). This combination of whiskey (any kind, Bourbon, Rye, Scotch, Canadian, doesn’t matter) and sweet Vermouth is pure grown-up joy. The perfect balance of sweet, strong, and bitter. Rich, dark, and, dangerous, particularly if you have two! The Manhattan is the reason I love being an adult.
I could also argue that sweet vermouth is great by itself, chilled, over ice, with a slice of orange and paired with salty snacks. Lengthened with tonic or other mixer (Fever-Tree’s Italian Blood Orange Soda works well) for something lower in alcohol but still bold and refreshing. And, at around about £20 for a litre, it’s one of the best value bottles behind any bar. But, let’s be honest—I think I had you at Negroni!
Vermouth is an aromatised wine, wine that is flavoured, fortified, and sweetened. The regulations around its production are fairly loose, giving producers plenty of room to innovate. The one constant? Wormwood (artemisia), which provides its essential bitter backbone. Beyond that, any botanical goes.
Neutral grape spirit is typically used to lightly fortify the wine, helping to protect it from oxidation. The bitterness from wormwood is balanced by adjusting the sweetness with grape must or cane sugar. EU definitions are based on residual sugar: Extra Dry (30g/l), Dry, Semi-Dry, Semi-Sweet, and Sweet (150g/l).
Sweet vermouth—the kind we reach for in Negronis and Manhattans—is usually red, and labelled rosso, rouge or rojo, though that colour often comes from caramel colouring rather than the wine itself. The base wine is historically white, light, and high in acidity, and can come from almost anywhere. But, producers are free to, and increasingly do, use red, rosé, or even orange wines. Some age their wines in oak or under flor, adding complexity and texture. There are few rules about the origin of the wine, an exception is Vermouth di Torino, which must be made with wine from Italy. Of course many producers favour local grapes. Routin, made in the Savoie, France uses the regional white grape Jacquère as its base. Many producers craft vermouth using wine from their own vineyards—Knightor in the UK is one such example.
While Italy and France have long led the way, great vermouth is now being made all over the world: Spain, Greece, Germany, the UK, and Argentina— which brings me neatly to this edition of Claire Drinks Recommended.
My recent visit to Argentina with the Institute of Masters of Wine, has brought everything Argentinian into sharper focus—its bold flavours, pride in local ingredients, and deep sense of place resonated. La Fuerza Vermouth Rojo, captures all these elements.
La Fuerza is a project from the Zuccardi stable, so there are no prizes for guessing that the base wine for their sweet vermouth is Malbec from Mendoza—giving this sweet vermouth a deeper, inkier colour than most. It's fortified and sweetened with Malbec spirit and grape juice, resulting in a rich, spicy, dark-fruited style: black plum, damson and sloe, full-bodied, and velvety smooth.
The botanicals are foraged from the foothills of the Andes, the mountain range which shapes the region and its communities. In addition to wormwood, botanicals include carqueja, lemon verbena, creosote bush, sagebrush, jarilla, thyme, and sage. The result is an intense and lifted herbal aroma and flavour profile, bringing balance to the Malbec’s rich and spicy fruit.
You might be tempted to mix La Fuerza with your fanciest spirits, but can I suggest holding back. In your Negroni use a classic and punchy juniper-led gin like Beefeater and try a laid-back Bourbon or blended Scotch Malt—Buffalo Trace or Monkey Shoulder in your Manhattans. La Fuerza is a characterful and distinctive vermouth that deserves the starring role.
Negroni made with La Fuerza Vermouth Rojo
Manhattan made with La Fuerza Vermouth Rojo
La Fuerza Vermouth Rojo with Fever-Tree Blood Orange Soda
La Fuerza Vermouth Rojo with ice and a slice
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