vermouth
[ ver-MOOTH ]
White wine that has been fortified and flavored with various herbs and spices. The name "vermouth" comes from the German wermut (
wormwood) which, before it was declared poisonous, was once the principal flavoring ingredient. There are several types of this wine, the most popular being white dry vermouth, commonly thought of as French (although it's made in other countries including the U.S.). It's drunk as an
APÉRITIF and used in non-sweet
COCKTAILS like the
MARTINI. Sweet vermouth is reddish brown (colored with
CARAMEL) and is also used as an
APÉRITIF as well as in slightly sweet
COCKTAILs such as the
MANHATTAN. A third style-not as popular as the other two-is white and slightly sweet. It's called Bianco by Italians.
© Copyright Barron's Educational Services, Inc. 1995 based on THE FOOD LOVER'S
COMPANION, 2nd edition, by Sharon Tyler Herbst.
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