The 8 Best Dry Vermouths to Drink in 2023

Best Overall

Noilly Prat Original Dry Vermouth

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• Region: France
• ABV: 18%
• Tasting Notes: Sea Salt, Coriander, Chamomile, Orange

As Nelis tells it, “A Frenchman from Noilly Pratt went to Italy, enjoyed vermouth, and wanted to put a French twist on it, so he made a drier version.” Yet Joseph Noilly’s original 1813 formula is different from modern-day “extra dry” vermouths. “The original is almost amber, while extra dry is clear,” notes François Monti, spirits educator and author of El Gran Libro del Vermut. “The intensity of the botanical mix is more assertive, and it’s based on oxidated wines.” Noilly’s son relocated the company to the seaside Marseillan in the 1850s, so the vermouth also exhibits intriguing briny notes.

Price at time of publish: $11.57
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Best for Martini

Dolin Vermouth De Chambery Dry

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• Region: France
• ABV: 17.5%
• Tasting Notes: Citrus, Herbs, White Pepper

The benchmark for martinis comes from Chambéry-based Dolin. Says Josh Gagne, owner of The Haymaker and Killjoy in Raleigh, N.C., “I'm looking for something that will add a dry note to the gin. Dolin has a bit of citrus, but nothing overwhelming, and a lighter mouthfeel. It makes you think about whatever you're sipping when you roll that martini around in your mouth.” Green agrees: “Tried and true price-wise and quality-wise, it’s delicate, floral, and quite dry. It’s the bottle I reach for behind the bar, and it’s the bottle I keep at home.”

Price at time of publish: $15.99
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Best for Perfect Manhattan

Carpano Dry Vermouth

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• Region: Italy
• ABV: 18%
• Tasting Notes: Mediterranean Herbs, Lemon, Orange, Green Apple

The first new vermouth from Carpano since it first invented the category in 1786, this dry version is a good choice for a Perfect Manhattan, especially paired with its counterpart Carpano Antica. With a formula including such esoteric botanicals as Cretan dittany—a wild mountain herb—it has savory notes mingling on the finish with fruitier green apple and citrus zest. Says Miranda Breedlove, Hyatt Lifestyle Division’s national director of bars, “It has slightly more sugar than your average dry vermouth, which helps with the whiskey base of the cocktail.”

Price at time of publish: $28.58

Best for White Negroni

Martini Riserva Speciale Ambrato Vermouth

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• Region: Italy
• ABV: 18%
• Tasting Notes: Apple, Pepper, Chamomile, Vegetal

Green calls this amber vermouth “more botanical” than typical dry versions. “It’s very floral,” he says, “with subtle vegetal and pepper notes.” Though it’s intriguing on the rocks or with soda, Breedlove notes that its bittersweet balance makes it a lovely choice for a White Negroni. “It has so much orchard fruit flavor and the right amount of wormwood,” she says, “and its chamomile notes play really well with gin, so it’s a fun way to toy with the drink.”

Price at time of publish: $24.62

Best to Drink Straight

Mancino Secco Vermouth

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• Region: Italy
• ABV: 18%
• Tasting Notes: Sage, Marjoram, Oregano, Lemongrass, Citrus Finish

“You don’t find dry vermouth poured neat a whole lot,” says Gagne, “but I would just drink this alone on the rocks.” Redolent of sweet orange and lemon zest, it’s “almost like a bianco,” he says, which gives it a lushness that can be enjoyed on its own. Its 19 botanicals also include plenty of Mediterranean herbs—marjoram, sage, oregano—for an intriguing layer of savoriness that keeps you sipping.

Price at time of publish: $35.95
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Best French

Routin Dry Vermouth

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• Region: France
• ABV: 16.9%
• Tasting Notes: Spice, Alpine Herbs, Floral, Vegetal

A “very traditional” vermouth from Chambéry, this one is “less herbal than Dolin,” says Nelis, “but it still has a lot of distinct Alpine herb notes to it.” The rosemary and the juniper berries in its influsion beautifully amplify gin in cocktails and provide it with “vegetal notes” that balance out the “little bit of spice” in it, Nelis notes, while rose petals bring a floral touch.

Price at time of publish: $18.99

Best American

Ransom Dry Vermouth

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• Region: Oregon
• ABV: 18.4%
• Tasting Notes: Rose Petals, Juniper, Rosemary, Wormwood, Bitter Almond

Monti calls this American vermouth “a thing of beauty,” and Leah Moss, the head bartender at Brooklyn’s Tooker Alley, agrees. “It’s so much more complex than a French dry vermouth that it’s great to use as an aperitif,” she says. “It’s more herbaceous,” with “delicious” estate-grown chamomile providing a layer of flavor, along with verbena, spearmint, fennel, burdock and a host of other herbs and roots. Add orange and lemon peel and warm spices—star anise, cinnamon, cardamom, and more—and, as Moss says admiringly, “there’s a lot going on here.”

Price at time of publish: $32.49