Dear Dr. Vinny,
Is vermouth made from wine, and should it be refrigerated after it’s open?
—Katie, San Francisco
Dear Katie,
I’m glad you asked about vermouth, one of my favorite wine-adjacent beverages. (For a deep dive into vermouth, complete with recommended bottles and cocktail recipes, check out our guide!)
Vermouth starts as wine, and from there it is flavored with herbs and fortified—meaning spirits are added to raise the alcohol content, usually to between 15% and 20% ABV. The wine used is usually a neutral white wine (even for most red vermouths), which makes sense because the producer will be adding other ingredients to achieve the style and flavors they want.
Herbs can either be macerated (or steeped) in the wine or infused when the alcohol spirits are added. Wormwood is one of the traditional herbs used in vermouth, though these days, not all vermouths contain wormwood, which has an herbal, earthy bitterness. (And don’t worry, the amount of wormwood is regulated to ensure the vermouth is safe to drink.)
Vermouth’s name may actually come from “wermut,” the German word for “wormwood.” Many other herbs, roots and botanicals can be used, including cinnamon, sage, ginger, marjoram, star anise, cardamon, licorice, orris and citrus peel—the vermouth maker’s imagination is the limit. Sugar or caramel might also be added, depending on the style.
Because vermouth starts as wine, it’s ideal to refrigerate it (or at least keep it at cellar temperature) after opening. That will help extend the life of your bottle and keep the flavors as fresh as possible—up to a few months. While vermouth’s elevated sugar and alcohol content help protect it from going off, it doesn’t stay fresh forever.
If you work in a bar and you’re going through a lot of vermouth—or you just make a lot of Martinis and Manhattans at home!—it’s OK to keep it in a cool, dark cabinet. But after a couple of weeks you’ll probably notice some oxidation and fading of the fresh herbal flavors.
—Dr. Vinny
