Vermouths are a category of fortified wine flavoured with herbs, spices, fruit and other flavourings. You can find them in dry, sweet and semi-sweet varieties, and they are a key ingredient in many different drinks. They're also delicious as an aperitif, served neat over ice with citrus, or mixed with tonic water.

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Looking for sweet vermouth cocktails? Try our manhattan and negroni recipes. If you prefer dry vermouth cocktails, we've got recipes for dirty martinis, spritzes and more

Discover which vermouth to buy in our expert guide, then check out our favourite UK gins and the best aperitifs.


14 vermouth cocktails

Boulevardier

Boulevardier is the negroni’s autumnal cousin, swapping gin for bourbon to create a rich, rounded edge to the drink.

A dark red cocktail in a tumbler with a twist of orange peel on the rim

Martinez

Mix vermouth with gin, maraschino liqueur and bitters to make a chic cocktail – it’s something of a cross between a martini and a manhattan.

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A red cocktail in a stemmed glass on a windowsill

Pre-bottled dirty martini

This easy Christmas cocktail makes the perfect gift to bring to a festive party – keep chilled in the fridge for emergencies.

Dirty Gin Martini Cocktail Recipe

Cocchi jasmine tea spritz

Delicate jasmine tea, sweet peach purée and bitter Cocchi Americano vermouth harmonises in this refreshing summery cocktail.

Cocchi jasmine tea spritz

Hot sloe gin negroni

Using sloe gin adds a fruity depth but also extra sweetness. Use a dry vermouth rather than the sweet red in the classic recipe.

Graphic outline of a hot sloe gin negroni in a tumbler glass

The broken spur

A delicious cocktail with gin, vermouth and port, plus a splash of Pernot. This elegant serve is simple to make but looks the part on any cocktail menu.

The Broken Spur Cocktail Recipe

Asam boi sour

This Malaysian preserved plum cocktail from Med Salleh in London looks sophisticated and is surprisingly easy to make.

Asam boi sour cocktail garnished with a wedge of lime

The new spritz

This zesty vermouth spritz, topped up with white grapefruit juice and prosecco, is perfect for summer. The spritz was originally wine with a dash of soda water, before people started adding bitters, tonic and prosecco to create modern-day versions.

Vermouth Spritz Recipe

PX Manhattan

Pedro ximénez sherry is the key to this clever cocktail, best sipped on a winter's evening. This easy whisky cocktail is the perfect balance of subtle sweetness and flavourful bitter notes. Garnish with a stylish twist of orange.

Sherry Manhattan Recipe

Manhattan

Live like a trendy New Yorker with our classic Manhattan recipe. It's best served in a coupe glass, with an illuminous cocktail cherry to garnish.

A Manhattan cocktail served in a coupe glass

Christmas spiced negroni

This negroni features all the usual components, but adds in festive flavours such as star anise, cinnamon and orange.

Two tumbler glasses filled with spiced negroni, garnished with star anise, cinnamon stick and orange twist

Negroni

Want to know how to make the best negroni? Check out our quick and easy recipe for this punchy Italian cocktail, made with just three classic ingredients.

Negroni drink recipe

Americano cocktail

This classic vermouth-based cocktail is similar to the negroni but is lighter and less boozy, making for a great aperitif.

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A green background with a tall glass filled with a red cocktail and a wedge of orange

Pickle martini

Pickle brine from the jar offers a salty and savoury boost to a classic martini.

A martini glass filled with vermouth and gin and topped with a pickle

Authors

Hannah Guinness olive magazine portrait
Hannah GuinnessSenior sub editor and drinks writer

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