It's a new year but one problem still plagues us here at the institute, the issue of oxidizing vermouth. This is the thorn in the side of every Martini drinker and an off bottle can ruin a good silver bullet. It has been noted that Lillet and red vermouth last longer and that dry vermouth can be used in other cocktails; but none of these have really mitigated the problem.So here is another try.
I opened a brand new bottle of vermouth, decanted it into smaller bottles and then immediately sealed them with a cap and sealing wax. They are now kept in the fridge with the idea that, when I need vermouth I can open one of the smaller bottles.
It should be noted that in the USA you can readily buy 50ml and 350ml bottles of Martini Extra Dry but even the miniatures are hard to come by. The folks at Berry Bros and Rudd do have Dolin Dry Vermouth (an excellent product) bottled for them exclusively in 350ml bottles: they are available here at £5.50 a bottle.Typically a 70cl bottle of Dolin will cost you £8, so you pay a premium but if the second half of your big bottle of vermouth would just be wasted it becomes attractive.
How about premixing batches of martinis and freezing\refrigerating them?
ReplyDeleteSee some of the experiments I conducted when trying to address the same problem: http://instituteforalcoholicexperimentation.blogspot.com/2010/10/trouble-with-vermouth.html
ReplyDeleteI'm curious how well they keep. I would guess that the oxidization continues to occur even in the small bottles.
ReplyDeleteI just wish more premium Vermouth brands came in small bottles. After all, I love martinis but rarely buy good vermouth since I can't drink it fast enough. A martini every night? Only in my dreams.