Kosher vermouth bring as difficult as it is to obtain, I was instantly taken in by DIY recipes for sweet (Serious Eats) and dry vermouth (Jan/Fen 2012 Imbibe). They ended up tasting remarkably similar. The sweet was not sweet enough with strong wormwood flavors coming through. The dry was too dark, with plenty of bitterness from wormwood, cinchona, and gentian. Both are certainly usable, though. The sweet made a perfectly serviceable, if dry, Manhattan. The dry is cooling in my fridge on its way to a Martini tomorrow night. Recipes for my next attempt are below.
Dry Vermouth
Simmer, for 15 minutes, 1 cup dry white whine wine with:
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp basil
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp sage
1/2 tsp chamomile flowers
1/2 tsp angelica
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp wormwood
1/8 tsp cinchona
3 black peppercorns
2 cloves
3/4 tsp granulated orange peel
1/4 vanilla bean
Allow to steep one hour. Strain and mix with remaining wine from 1 bottle, add 3 oz water, 2 oz brandy, and simple syrup to taste. Should be just sweet enough to balance the bitterness from the herbs and acidity in the wine.
Sweet Vermouth
Simmer, for 15 minutes, 1 cup dry white whine wine with:
zest of 1/2 orange
1 cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon dried chamomile
8 cardamom pods
1 star anise
1 teaspoon dried lavender
1/4 teaspoon wormwood leaf
Strain and add:
remaining wine from bottle
1/2 cup brandy
1/2 cup sweet wine
Set aside. Meanwhile, caramelize 1/2 cup sugar until deep golden brown. When sugar has cooled slightly, at 1/4 cup boiling water and stir to dissolve caramel. Combine caramel with wine mixture. Chill.
