8 Dry and Blanc Vermouths for Sipping or Mixing

Boissiere Extra Dry Vermouth

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Sounds French, right? It started out in Mont Blanc, France, but today Boissiere is produced in northern Italy’s Turin. Boissiere has a soft, plush mouthfeel and a balancing snappiness to its botanicals, with aromas of savory wormwood, sweet blanched almonds, and fennel seed, and flavors of dry, biting almond skin and olive pits. Try it in a 50/50 Martini.

Carpano Bianco Vermouth

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Lower in alcohol than its dry sibling but with family traits that carry through from one to the other, you’ll pick up on the same grapefruit note and grapey-ness noted in the dry bottle, likely from the grape, trebbiano (also known as ugni blanc, the base of most vermouths and often brandy). Here, though, it’s even rounder and more mouth-filling, with a slightly briny blanched-almond note, along with a spiciness although here it snaps back the sweetness like a rubber band, making you eager for another sip. It’s lovely on the rocks with a twist of pink grapefruit zest. 

Carpano Dry Vermouth

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As with most vermouth, whether dry, off-dry, or sweet, white grapes are at the source here, and the grape-y ripeness of Carpano’s dry vermouth comes off as playful and even a little tropical, with notes of ginger and apricot to compliment the dominant grapefruit juice and zest notes. It’s also sweeter than you might expect from a dry vermouth—which isn’t to say it’s overly sweet in the least, but this Italian bottle possesses a richness that nicely balances the zippy spicy note that hits you toward the end. 

Dolin Vermouth De Chambery Dry

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If there is a cornerstone dry vermouth, Dolin is it. Made from ugni blanc grapes, it’s subtle and cool and smells like lemon verbena, white lilacs, and fresh citrus peels. On the palate, it’s fresh and bright but with plenty of intrigue: a little savory wormwood, a little gentle almond nuttiness, a little chamomile. It's the go-to bottle for most industry pros for Martinis and so much more.  

Interrobang White Vermouth No. 73

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The number 73 is the number of attempts it took to get this Willamette Valley-made semi-sweet style of vermouth just right. And just like its excellent sweet counterpoint (which took 47 tries), the white is a layered pleasure on the palate, all ginger, dried apricot, and grapefruit peel and pith, with a piquant zip that makes it lovely by itself or stirred into a gin cocktail. The base wine and the likely origin of the wild-ginger note is Oregon riesling.

Poli Gran Bassano Bianco Vermouth

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This Veneto-made vermouth from Poli (well-known for its excellent grappa) makes use of the indigenous Vespaiolo grape variety for this bianco-style aromatized wine. (Fun fact: The grape gets its name from the word for wasp—vespa—which are apparently quite smitten with this particular white grape). This complex golden bianco is rich and plush, sweet and spicy, with a surprisingly dry finish. It’s made with 20 botanicals, including wormwood, hawthorn, elderflower, grapefruit, galangal, myrtle, and sweet and bitter orange. Take a hint from the base-grape’s name and try this in a Vesper variation.

Timbal Vermouth Extra Dry

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Made in the Catalan region of Spain by one of the last remaining old vermouth producers of the region, Emilio Miro, there’s no sugar added to this excellent vermouth, proven on your tongue with its cracker-dry elegance, freshness, and lip-smacking savoriness. It begs to be paired with clear spirits, with its pretty notes of crisp Granny Smith apple, fennel, sweet basil, and chamomile. It’s ideal for a 50/50 Martini.