Martini (Vermouth) is an alcoholic drink created a very long time ago. According to one of the most common versions, the composition of the martini was developed by Dr. Hippocrates himself. Once he noticed that wine mixed with squeezed herbs produces a positive effect on patients. Taking it, they recovered much faster.
Let's look at the classic types of this drink, find out what you should pay attention to first of all, so as not to buy a fake, and how Martini actually differs from Vermouth.
What is vermouth?
To the simple question of how martini differs from vermouth, few can give an exact answer. To begin with, we will determine what all the same is vermouth. The very word "vermouth" in translation means "wormwood." Manufacturers add various aromatic spicy and medicinal plants to
fortified wine . It is easy to guess from the name that the basis of these additives is wormwood. In addition, the composition of vermouth may include about 35
herbs: lemon balm, mint, St. John's wort, chamomile, ginger, coriander and others.
Herbs are infused for 20 days, during which time the resins, essential oils and other necessary substances dissolve, creating the necessary bouquet. After receiving the herbal extract, it is mixed with wine. Then alcohol and sugar are added to the drink. Alcohol is needed for better preservation and solubility of aromatic substances, while sugar smooths out excessive bitterness. After the operations done, the vermouth is heated very much, then it is cooled. The resulting drink should be infused for 3-4 months, sometimes this period can be extended to one and a half years.
Vermouths come in many forms: white vermouth, which contains 10 to 15% sugar; pink, containing about 15% sugar; red vermouth - 15% and above.
Martini
Martini (vermouth), what is it? Martini is a vermouth brand that is produced in Italian wineries. In 1847, by chance in Turin, two unusual personalities met: wine merchant Alessandro Martini and grass expert Luigi Rossi. Striving for new ideas and tastes, they exchanged their knowledge in the hope of getting an unusual drink that brings people joy and pleasure. As a result of many experiments, they were able to create a drink full of taste and energy, which is so popular now. The result of their successful experiment was called "Martini Rossi." After that, in 1863, they set up a Martini vermouth company called Martini & Rossi.
As you already understood, the question of the differences between these two drinks is inappropriate, since martini is vermouth. The Martini brand has become incredibly popular, it is almost a synonym for the word "vermouth". It often happens that a person who wants to try vermouth in the store will ask for a martini. However, many do not know that there are a lot of manufacturers of this drink. In addition to Italy, vermouth is produced in many countries: in France, Spain, the USA, Germany, Argentina, Russia, Ukraine, Romania, Hungary, Moldova, etc.
Martini Bianco
Vermouth Martini Bianco appeared at the beginning of the XX century. It has a fresh citrus flavor with quite interesting hues. It miraculously combines the bitterness and astringency of wormwood with pleasant sweet notes. This vermouth is quite strong, but its strength is almost imperceptible. Vermouth Martini Bianco is made from dry white wine, which is added with soft, sweet floral spices and aromatic herbs extract (the extract contains sandalwood, rhubarb, cloves, buckwheat roots, etc.). Vermouth has a pleasant color, and its name was obtained thanks to the white vanilla flowers used in the cooking process. This drink is preferred by young girls. There are many options for its use. In its purest form, vermouth Martini is added with green olive or lemon, ice. You can drink it with juice, soda, tonic. On the basis of vermouth obtained exquisite cocktails with a unique taste.
Martini Extra Dry
This species is one of the varieties of dry vermouth. His presentation took place during the celebration of the New Year in 1900. Vermouth Martini Extra Dry was appreciated and immediately began to enjoy great success. It has a nice light color. A distinctive feature of this drink is that after tasting it, you will not feel a single gram of bitterness. This vermouth Martini has a pleasant aroma in which you can distinguish between floral notes and fruit and berry motifs. Another advantage of this drink is the minimum sugar content.
Before serving the bottle with vermouth, it is necessary to cool to 10-15 degrees, since in its warm form the excellent taste of the drink is lost. Experienced tasters advise to use this vermouth in its pure form, because this is how its taste qualities are most fully revealed. You can dilute it with a small amount of water, ice, add a slice of lemon. In addition, martini goes well with white rum, gin, whiskey, cognac and vodka.
Martini Rosso
Martini Rosso is different from other types of high sugar content (16%), a sufficiently high strength and rich red color. It tastes like vermouth Martini Bianco. A sweet white drink is part of the preparation of Rosso. To obtain Martini Rosso, white vermouth is initially prepared, into which various components are then added to enhance taste and smell.
Vermouth has a pleasant caramel flavor, after the first sip remains the aftertaste of grapefruit and grapes. The drink goes well with various cheeses, olives, nuts and crackers.
How not to buy a fake?
The fortress of Vermouth Martini depends on the type of drink. Bianco, Rosso, Rosa have a fortress of about 16%, Extra Dry - 18%, the strongest - Bitter, with a strength of 25%, it is produced only by Martini and Rossi. It is not surprising that vermouths beloved all over the world are often faked. Sometimes just looking at the bottle is hard to determine if the real one is Martini (Vermouth) or not.
There are several rules, following which, you can to some extent protect yourself from buying low-quality vermouth.
- First, buy martinis only in specialized stores. An exception can be made for large Internet portals of well-known companies.
- Secondly, pay attention to the strength of the drink. Even one degree difference means that you have a fake.
- Look at the price. Martini (Vermouth) can not cost less than 300-400 rubles. Of course, at pre-holiday sales, its value may decrease, but not by much.
Tips from experts and true martini lovers
What is advised to drink martini? There are many ways, let's look at some of them. Martini is not recommended to drink in one gulp, since only in small sips does the entire fullness of aroma and delicate taste open.
They drink vermouth both in pure form and in diluted, or as part of various cocktails. As for dry vermouths - it is better not to dilute them, do not mix and use chilled. It is important not to forget that vermouth is an aperitif, they drink it at the beginning of dinner.
Cocktail of the same name
There is a fairly common cocktail based on gin and vermouth - Martini Dry. It got its name in honor of its creator - Martini de Togia. This happened long before the appearance of the famous brand.
In the original, the cocktail consisted of equal proportions of gin and vermouth. But over time, it came to the point that the glass could only be slightly rinsed with vermouth before pouring gin into it. Interestingly, the famous James Bond was a true connoisseur of such a cocktail, only in it the gin was replaced with vodka and added vermouth - white Martini.
A bit about martini advertising
In addition to agent 007, who promoted the brand all over the world, the heroine of the eponymous series Kamenskaya also advertised this wonderful drink. Elena Yakovleva, who played the main role, argued that thanks to this vermouth wonderful and unpredictable ideas are born in the head, thought processes are accelerated. Who knows, perhaps this is something, because it was not for nothing that Hippocrates himself spoke about the healing properties of vermouth.
The Martini brand does not need special advertising, since without this it is very popular among the stars of show business. Remember the ad in which Gwyneth Paltrow says, “My martini, please!” Commercials of this brand are both simple and memorable, because a quality drink does not need constant advertising.
The very mention of this divine drink evokes a sense of admiration, luxury, relaxation and the expectation of unrivaled enjoyment.