Vermouth question

[ted]

I usually make manhattans with Noilly Prat, but a while back I picked up a bottle of Punt e Mes. Typically, I make mine with both sweet and dry vermouth, using a little more sweet than dry.

I've found that the Punt e Mes has a very different flavor, very herbal and bitter. Makes for a much-different drink than I'm used to. I'm almost tempted to not use bitters or just a tiny bit with this vermouth.

Just wondering what others think of this vermouth and if/how you adjust proportions when using it.

[lowereastrittenhouse]

I love Punt e Mes and often make my Manhattans with it. I don't leave out the Angostura, but I do reduce the amount of Punt e Mes to a splash. That way, the amaro qualities won't overpower the drink.

[yarm]

Punt e Mes has been described to me as half way between a sweet vermouth and an amaro (an Italian bitter liqueur like Averna).

A good variations on the Manhattan are:

Green Point
2 oz Rye Whiskey
1/2 oz Punt e Mes
1/2 oz yellow Chartreuse
1 dash Orange Bitters
1 dash Angostura Bitters
Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

Creole
1 1/2 oz Rye
1 1/2 oz Sweet Vermouth
1/4 oz Benedictine
1/4 oz Punt e Mes
Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.

And a cocktail created here in Boston at Drink:

The 1919
3/4 oz Rittenhouse Rye
3/4 oz Old Monk Rum
1 oz Punt e Mes
1/2 oz Benedictine
1 dash Mole Bitters
Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

And a Negroni variation created at No. 9 Park:

Patrician
1 part gin
1 part Punt e Mes
1 part Cointreau
Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with an orange twist.

http://cocktailvirgin.blogspot.com/

[sparkalina]

I am a little out of my league here, and maybe better to ask on the Spain board, but:

In Spain I have often found vermouth on tap, poured into a tall glass and served with an orange slice or two in the glass. Is there anything comparable that can be found in the US?

[MC Slim JB]

I had the local Spanish vermouth on tap ("vermut en grifo") for the first time on a recent trip to Madrid, and it seems kind of like its own animal, a bit sweeter, more sherry-like, and less herbal than most sweet vermouths from Italy, France, or the USA.

I understand it is traditionally drunk on Sunday at lunch before you go to El Rastro, the in-town flea market, but the custom is so well-established that "going to El Rastro" can mean drinking vermut en grifo at mid-day on Sunday and skipping the flea market. Sounds like the Spanish equivalent of tanking up on Bloodies or mimosas at Sunday brunch.

I couldn't stick around for Sunday, and had a few on a couple of different weeknights. It's pretty tasty, cheap, not too strong, and kind of refreshing, a nice change from tinto de verano, vino tinto or lager.

[sparkalina]

Exactly! Great description of the taste. Now, can we find an equivalent here?

[pablos]

had something very similar in Torremolinos last week.....loved it...think it was called Quitapenas but ?????. Same question as above...any ideas on equivanent in USA?

[MC Slim JB]

Different vermouths make the world go 'round!

I love Punt e Mes, often drink it on the rocks with a twist as an aperitif, and it makes for great Negronis, Manhattans, and other cocktails that call for sweet vermouth. You should also seek out Vya sweet vermouth (from California, with a very complex, subtle mix of added botanicals), Antica Formula (from the same people behind Punt e Mes, allegedly recreating the world's first commercial recipe for vermouth, another one that's great by itself), and non-vermouth aromatized wines like Lillet Rouge and Dubonnet Rouge.

Also try the Moto Guzzi, an original by Boston's John Gertsen of No. 9 Park, equal parts Punt e Mes and Booker's bourbon, stirred with ice and strained into a chilled rocks glass. Punt e Mes is interesting enough to make this two-ingredient cocktail work.

[hazelhurst]

Doubless you know---or have access to people who do know--the story of Noilly Prat in the US of A. I am told by seasoned martini drinkers, who went through the ever-increasing dryness campaign of the 1950's and 1960's, that NP changed its formula in the middle of the 1960's. According to these WW I veterans, the vermouth became lighter in color and much less flavored. I was a mere pup when this sea change supposedly occured. By the time I was quaffing them at Arlington & Newbury Street, the deal was done. [Someone said recently that NP might be going back to the "original" formula.] Well, any news on this front?

[penthouse pup]

Yes, in the New York area, NP has reverted to what they describe as the original recipe...it's fuller in flavor and to my taste, slightly too much so, affecting the martini's balance...I go with
Boissiere.

[sailormouth]

Why don't you try a Red Hook?
-2 ounces rye whiskey
-1/2 ounce Punt y Mes
-1/4-1/2 ounce maraschino, depending upon the maraschino and your taste. I have cherry heering at home and typically will use about a 1/8-1/4 oz.

Punt e Mes is great, and I often use it as a substitute for normal sweet vermouth, but with mixed results. If you want to stick with your standard manhattan recipe, maybe switch up the bitters and use something else, say Peychaud's and see what you think, assuming you're now using Angostura.

[ted]

I'm glad I'm not the only one- was thinking it would be a step up, but it really was too different for my taste. Seeing below, it looks like I have other options for drinks with it. Or maybe drop the Angostura entirely from the manhattan when using it.