What is Vermut?
Vermut is a fortified wine infused with herbs, spices, and botanicals. Vermut gets its name from the German word “Wermut,” which means wormwood. Wormwood is one of the traditional botanicals used in vermut and contributes a slightly bitter flavor. Other herbs and spices include citrus peel, cinnamon, cardamom, clove, chamomile and many others. Both red and white Vermut come from white grapes, but red Vermut gets its color and rich taste from caramelized sugar or, in some cases, Pedro Ximénez.
What to Eat withVermut
Spanish vermouth is most often paired with bold, salty, or briny flavors. You’ll often find it paired with traditional Spanish tapas like croquetas, gildas, and ensaladilla rusa. When you join our Madrid experience, you'll enjoy a glass of vermut with traditional Spanish tapas along with special dishes off the menu.
Where to Buy Vermut
Spanish vermouth is most often paired with bold, salty, or briny flavors. You’ll often find it paired with traditional Spanish tapas like croquetas, gildas, and ensaladilla rusa. When you join our Madrid experience, you'll enjoy a glass of vermut with traditional Spanish tapas along with special dishes off the menu.
How Vermouth is Prepared
Producers start with a neutral white wine, then infuse it with herbs, spices, and botanicals. The wine is fortified with spirit and rested. For red vermut, caramelized sugar is often added to give it its color and rich, slightly sweet flavor. In Spain, some producers age their vermut in oak barrels for added depth. Others, especially in the south of Spain, incorporate sherry or Pedro Ximénez, which brings notes of fig, raisin, and molasses. Vermut is typically served over ice, with a slice of orange and a green olive, though each tavern has its own twist on how they garnish their classic vermut!
Where to Have It
In Spain, vermut is often poured straight from the tap and enjoyed in plazas, markets, and neighborhood taverns. In Madrid, locals often enjoy a vermut after wandering the famous Rastro market in La Latina, and in Barcelona, vermouth shines in vermuterías, bars dedicated entirely to the drink.
If you’re in Madrid, we recommend joining one of our experiences to enjoy the finest vermut in the city while taking part in la hora del vermut with a local hostess showing you the city just as they would their friends and family. You’ll also get to dine in the kitchen of a Michelin-starred restaurant and snag a table at one of the city’s trendiest, hardest-to-book restaurants, and finally finish off with a specialty cocktail at one of Madrid’s most popular speakeasies.