BCN Ambre Vermut “Mut” Terra Alta, 18 percent, $39
BCN “Mut,” from Catalonia in northeastern Spain, is made with garnacha blanca, or white grenache, macerated with a wide variety of herbs and spices. Some you can detect in this lovely, slightly sweet yet bitter and savory vermouth: clove, cinnamon, fennel, some sort of citrus. This is a superb example of a classic, modern Spanish vermouth, if that’s not an oxymoron, just right as an aperitif over ice, with a thin orange slice. (De Maison Selections)
Barbichette/Forthave New York L’Amer Vermouth Lot 21, 15 percent, $42
Like quinquina, L’Amer is a modest variation on vermouth with a touch of bitterness that makes it taste almost like a combination of vermouth and amaro. This is a collaboration between Barbichette, a natural wine producer that vinifies New York grapes in Brooklyn, and Forthave, a Brooklyn distillery that makes Marseille, a superb amaro, among other things. It’s made with seyval blanc grapes macerated with myriad botanicals, resulting in an amber colored vermouth that’s a little sweet, a little bitter and very refreshing.
Chinati Vergano Vermouth Bianco Piemonte, 16 percent, $45
This white vermouth from the Piedmont region of Italy is richer and sweeter than the Spanish selections in this list, yet nonetheless well-balanced and refreshing, complex and herbal, tasting very much like oregano. It’s made from a base of moscato and cortese. (Louis/Dressner Selections, New York)
Follow New York Times Cooking on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok and Pinterest. Get regular updates from New York Times Cooking, with recipe suggestions, cooking tips and shopping advice.
