VERMOUTH

In fact I'm going to drink some Rob Roys tonight! Yay!

news flash, people who like martinis without vermouth don't like martinis - they just like cold gin/vodka.

^^^

Carpano Antica is probably my favorite vermouth, really deep flavors that stand p well to a heavier cocktail like a rob roy or manhattan. It's a bit overpowering in something like a martini.

Vya also makes very good vermouth.

Dolin just started getting distributed around here, it's from Chambéry and the only vermouth granted an Appellation d' Origine. They're an independent producer, pretty rare. Their sweet and dry are good, but their blanc is extraordinary!

I would be happy to drink any of these chilled neat w/ a lemon twist.

stand p well?

stand up well.

i can't stand sweet vermouth, but a dry manhattan with a twist is one of my favorite things.

Carpano Antica in a manhattan is indeed amazing. It's my favourite vermouth, too. Probably second favourite is Punt E Mes, which has some bitterness to it but is otherwise quite similar to the Antica. I happily drink either of them neat.

Haven't had the Vya or the Dolin, although keep meaning to try both.

"news flash, people who like martinis without vermouth don't like martinis - they just like cold gin/vodka."

No shit, sherlock.

When I was just beginning to find out about alcohol, I never understand that a martini wasn't just a vermouth - as Tracer says, ask for a martini here, you get Martini brand vermouth.

i think ppl who dont like vermouth might be judging it from that musty old bottle that's been sitting on their shelf for a couple of years. vermouth can go off relatively quickly if it's not kept in the fridge

I keep a bottle on the kitchen counter. It's great to pour in the bottom of the roasting pan, with meats or veggies. My mother drinks sort of a reverse-martini for a nightcap—vermouth on ice w/ a splash of gin.

I just bought my first bottle of Dubonnet... technically not a vermouth, as it contains no wormwood; I think quinine is the bitter stuff.

Now I can make a:

Zaza cocktail

3/4 fluid ounce Dubonnet
1 1/2 fluid ounces gin

Garnish

twist of orange peel

Instructions

Stir gin and Dubonnet with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.
Add the twist of orange peel and serve.

dubonnet is a sweet red vermouth and is nice to savor on its own, I haven't considered pairing it with gin

although it sounds like it could be good

So the Dubonnet cocktail was a hit... one part gin, two parts Dubonnet, slice of lemon, two large icecubes. It's what the Queen drinks, and the Queen Mother before her.