Vermouth is part of that social time when we get together with friends for happy hour or aperitifs. It is also what we eat to get our appetite going, because there really is nothing like aromatic wines to fulfill this task. Out of all the wines, at least in Spain, vermouth is king: fortified with some kind of alcohol and aromatized with botanical essences, among which there always has to be a bitterness from Artemisia.
Sweet vermouth (which is red in color) is the most common in our aperitif menu, thanks to the popularity it has acquired due to the way it is served: on tap. Beyond being red, vermouth also can be white—filtered and without the carmel that colors the red—or dry, with a lower sugar content, which is perfect for cocktails like Dry Martinis.
The ways in which vermouth is served are varied since it is such a versatile drink. The most common, for sweet vermouth, are: chilled from the tap and with seltzer water or from a bottle with ice, orange, and olives—with or without soda water.