Adam Ford had a life-changing experience with his wife in Italy when he finally tried a glass of vermouth, a drink she had always loved. He decided to recreate that sublime night abroad by creating his own American vermouth — and fell even more in love with the fortified wine that had long fallen out of favor in the years since it had been a prime ingredient in many classic cocktails.
His Atsby Vermouth has helped to bring the wine back into vogue. Now, bartenders are featuring it front and center in their cocktail programs, and craft producers like Ford are making versions of vermouth worth drinking. In the midst of such a renaissance, it seemed like high time to Ford to chronicle vermouth’s rise and fall and rise again, so he’s recently published “Vermouth: The Revival of the Spirit that Created America’s Craft Cocktail Culture” (Countryman Press, $24.85).
“Vermouth” is both a history book and a cocktail recipe guide, featuring many drinks, like this one, that have used vermouth as the primary ingredient. Sip on it as you learn more about why vermouth — the world’s oldest alcoholic beverage — is so special, both by itself and in cocktails.
The Hanky-Panky
2 oz. sweet vermouth
3/4 oz. London dry gin
1/4 oz. Fernet-Branca
1 orange peel
Pour all ingredients into a mixing glass filled with ice and stir until on the verge of freezing. Strain into a small cordial or sake coupe. Garnish with a raspberry in the spring and summer, or a fig in the fall and winter.
— Adapted from Adam Ford’s “Vermouth”
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