Sweet Sweet Vermouth….

The finished product mmmm...

What makes a Negroni stand out above all other cocktails for me is the variety of flavors that hit your tastebuds as soon as the liquid enters your mouth. The sweet sensation that jolts you back to reality after that first sip is the sweet vermouth which is also present in that manly martini named the ‘Manhattan’.

While we had Lauren Mote in the kitchen here at BartenderOne we thought what better way to perfect that tantalizing Negroni than to create that sweet vermouth ourselves from scratch and adjust it to our own tastebuds? The process itself is actually pretty easy and the full ingredient list is below so give it a try, you won’t regret it!

The first step in creating this glorious vermouth was to make the plum syrup that would intertwine with the alcohol and give off that sweet flavour. You need to deseed 3 plums and warm them over a medium heat mashing into a paste once hot and then add two cups of water, 3 earl-grey teabags cut open to expose the loose tea and bring to a simmer. Once boiled strain the plum syrup and add two cups of sugar. The aromas off the syrup should now be wafting sweetly through your kitchen so get those tastebuds ready for some testing.

Slaving over a hot stove!

Next step is the vermouth itself; this is where the taste testing comes into play as you adjust the vermouths alcohol level according to what you feel when tasting. Lauren’s expertise was vital at this stage as she guided us through combining the wine, falernum, syrup and vodka (the base spirit). Depending on the taste at this stage Lauren advised BartenderOne that you may need to add more syrup or more spirit and voila your vermouth is ready to be served! You can find more tips on culinary applications on Laurens blog also; check it out: http://laurenmote.com/

Plum Vermouth

To Make Syrup:
3 ripe big black plums skins on over medium heat mashed into a paste
Earl grey black and green tea x3 teabags – cut open exposing the loose tea
2 cups water
Bring to simmer
Strain plum syrup
Stir 2 cups sugar into plum syrup

To Make Vermouth:
1125ml Red Wine – robust cabernet sauvignon
1 cup fortified falernum 250 ml
1.5 cup plum syrup
4oz vodka
To see how much syrup to put in test with another alcohol until desired alcohol level is reached -adjusting the taste with your neutral grain or sugar.
You may need to add more pure spirit or more sugar (syrup).
Go in ½ cup intervals.