Martini Extra Dry

"The Original" Vermouth is still an indispensable element of every bar — on its own or in your favorite cocktail.

The Distilleria Nazionale di Spirito di Vino in Pessione, Italy was a Vermouth bottling operation in the mid 1800s. Soon, three managers had assumed command and were running the place like masters — Alessandro Martini was the brains, Luigi Rossi was the Wine-maker, and Teofilo Sola was the finance guy. It was a match made in Spirits heaven and the business thrived. Eventually, Rossi’s sons came to head up the company and it was a family operation for generations. Now owned by Bacardi, they produce a wide range of Bitters, Vermouths, and Sparkling Wines under the Martini & Rossi brand.

They call Martini Extra Dry "The Original Vermouth" — beginning as it did in 1863. We’ve found no reason to doubt the claim (though Cinzano claims an earlier date). Most of us know Vermouth as one of the key components of cocktail-making, which, of course, it is. But it was originally derived as a medicinal drink and then as a stand-alone Aperitif. At the core it is a fortified Italian White Wine — Trebbiano and Catarratto — infused with herbs and gentle spices.

Smartass Corner:
The word "Vermouth" comes from the Germanic "wermut," meaning "wormwood." The herb has been a bittering agent in Spirits for hundreds of years and also is the primary component of Absinthe and other Spirits.