Vermouth - The Most Common Variety of Aperitif Wines, Sweet and Dry Vermouth

Modifiers: Dry Vermouth

But sweet and dry vermouth is the most common variety of apéritif wines. They're quite enjoyable, though their flavors are somewhat bland and characterless when compared with other apéritifs. Throughout Europe, there are hundreds of other interesting apéritif wines to be enjoyed beyond vermouth. Typically, they are more bitter than dry vermouth, though produced in much the same way. Brands to try are Amer Picon, Byrrh, Dubbonet, Punt è Mes, and Suze.

These venerable apéritifs are often overlooked. Those who favor them have usually been privy to an elder gifted in mixing and serving them. Although they can be sipped neat, you may wish to start by merely mixing the apéritif with soda water in a tall, chilled glass filled with ice. By law, vermouth labels cannot state any medicinal value. But it is interesting how some pharmacies still shelve them, along with other bitters. Even during Prohibition some dry vermouth was considered medicinal and therefore legal in the United States.