Great British Vermouth Dry Wermod review

The Dry Wermod by Great British Vermouth is the passion project of historian Michael Kaplan and spirit guru Hamish Martin.

At their centre is the notion of taking vermouth back to its roots. The belief here is that vermouth had existed in Britain for centuries before it became associated with Northern Italy. This theory supposes that when the Romans brought winemaking over, we infused it with ‘wermod’.

What we do know for certain is that the Great British Vermouth has achieved everything it set out to with this bottle.

By seeking to take the fortified wine back to its roots, they are looking to make sure the earthy, medicinal facets of the drink are not sidelined for more modern and sweet interpretations, whilst using British sourced ingredients to create the 2019 version of a Roman era delicacy.

In order to achieve this, the distillery use a British wine and spirit, and infuse these with locally foraged herbs and flowers that are processed within the day to preserve their flavour and digestive properties.

There are 24 botanicals that make up the drink, the craft lying in the versatility given to the vermouth through this careful selection.

The use of ingredients commonly found in gin, such as coriander, make the vermouth easy to throw in a traditional negroni, whilst the inclusion of nettle ensures that the aperitif does its job as an appetite stimulant.

Throw in another 22 components and you have the mix. The nose is floral and a good barometer for what is to come. The palate is dry and crisp, full of lemon flavours and bittered by the earthiness of the nettle and wormwood.

The finish allows elderflower and a suggestion of rose to gently drift down your tongue in a revisit to the floral nose.

Serving suggestion

We recommend you try the Dry Wermod in a modern adaptation of the chrysanthemum. This classic cocktail was first devised by the legendary Harry Craddock and recently adapted by Harry Brereton, of the Knight’s Bar at The Savoy, where Harry Craddock garnered a lot of his fame.

It calls for 2oz of dry vermouth, 1oz Bénédictine and three dashes of absinthe to be stirred with ice in a mixing glass until chilled then strained into a chilled glass.

The perfect way to get the most out of this fantastic vermouth, the Bénédictine draws out the sweet lemon notes, whilst the absinthe is great company for the wormwood’s bitterness.

Available from The Food Market (£29.99)

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This review was last updated in March 2020. If you have any questions, suggestions for future reviews or spot anything that has changed in price or availability please get in touch at goodfoodwebsite@immediate.co.uk.