How and with what to drink Martini Bianco, Rosso, Extra Dry and Rosato

Vermouth Martinis are more than 150 years old, they are known and revered all over the world, and the brand logo has become a symbol of stylish parties and bohemian life. No Martini – no party! But only in our country the culture of drinking this drink remained somewhere in the backyard of the Millennium, when a young Clooney invaded houses with boxes of Bianco. We figure out how to drink Martini in all its diversity.

Martini saw the world more than 150 years ago back in 1863, when herbalist Luigi Rossi and entrepreneur Alessandro Martini created and presented to the public the unique red vermouth Martini Rosso. Later, in 1910, based on white wine, Martini Bianco appeared, which became the mainstay of the Martini & Rossi brand for the next century. Since those historical days, much water has flowed. Generations, technologists, tastes have changed, and the top ten sites of Google and Yandex still consider the human Martini to be the crowning achievement of creation, here’s the news, in a “martinka” with olives strung on a skewer.

Where did it all come from? The cocktail glass was around long before all cone-shaped glasses were called martini or martinki glasses. By the way, they began to be called not because Martini & Rossi marketers came up with the idea of ​​pouring their vermouth into a cocktail glass and pouring olives into it, but because Dry Martini cocktail was served in such glasses from time immemorial (previously just Martini, because it was very even not dry). So, a Martini cocktail and Martini vermouth have nothing in common with each other, and therefore there is no reason to serve vermouth in a cocktail glass if it, in fact, is not an ingredient in a cocktail.

For lovers of homemade drinks, we have a separate article with recipes for various vermouths, including a kind of Martini Bianco. We recommend reading.

A more familiar dish for serving any vermouth is a rock, that is, a straight glass with thick walls, where the stunning herbal-spicy smell of the drink is at least somehow concentrated and gives inexpressible pleasure to your nose. But instead of an olive, a slice of lemon for Bianco or an orange for Rosso would be much more appropriate, olives are better in a bite. Sweet vermouth Martini, and these are Bianco, Rosso and Rosato, are classic aperitifs, and they should be drunk exclusively as aperitifs. How to do this is described below.

How and with what to drink Martini Bianco (Bianco)

This is a sweet white vermouth that used to be called Bianchissimo (“the finest” or something like that). For the most part, when it comes to Martini, they mean exactly Bianco. Successful marketing has made this vermouth the most recognizable and desirable in the world. It is made from white wines such as Trebbiano, and extracts of herbs and flowers are used as a fragrant base. Very pronounced vanilla. So, how and with what to drink Martini Bianco? Let’s figure it out.

By itself, vermouth is a good aperitif: light, drinkable, fragrant. It was as if it was created in order to arouse the appetite. Hence the ways to drink it:

• You can drink Martini Bianco both in pure form and in cocktails.
• According to the rules of etiquette, vermouth should be served in an old-fashioned glass (old fashion, rocks), no “martins”. In a glass, you can add some pure water or a few ice cubes, as well as a slice of lemon (you can squeeze a little lemon juice).
• Bianco is drunk chilled, 10-15^оC. You can cool it in the refrigerator, or you can just add ice. Instead of ice, you can use frozen fruits and berries – cherries, strawberries, pineapples showed themselves well.
• You need to drink it, like any aperitif, slowly, in small sips, enjoying the taste and aroma of the drink.
• A snack is welcome, but very light and in small quantities. Most often, salted crackers, spicy cheeses, nuts, olives and olives are served with Bianco. From the exotic: Italian canapés with cold meat, heavily seasoned with basil and oregano.
• They drink a white Martini with juices (cherry and grapefruit will be just right). You can add tonic. They did not immediately interfere with Bianco cocktails – for these purposes, of course, other products from the Martini & Rossi family are better suited. But mixed drinks are still made from this vermouth. It goes well with vodka, rum, gin and sweet liquors. The main thing is not to overdo it with other ingredients, so as not to drown out the floral aroma.

How and with what to drink Martini Rosso (Rosso)

He was the first. The world saw him on the sunny days of 1863 thanks to the same Luigi Rossi. Until the beginning of the 20th century, Martini Rosso was the only one in the Martini & Rossi line. It is based on red wine and herbs, where not the last role is assigned to wormwood. Saturated dark amber color vermouth owes caramel. This is the same sweet vermouth, but more refined, with a bitter aftertaste of wormwood. Martini Rosso should be drunk like Bianco, without any exceptions (well, except that instead of grapefruit it is better to take orange juice). Vermouth goes well with salty snacks. A large number of cocktails are made with it, where Manhattan is undoubtedly the king, and Negroni is the prince. But there are others.

How and with what to drink Martini Extra Dry (Extra Dry)

This vermouth was presented to the public on January 1, 1900. Dry (only 2,8% sugar), aromatic, with bright notes of raspberry, lemon and iris. Martini Extra Dry became a real cocktail king of the early 20th century (along with Noilly Prat vermouths). By itself, they rarely drink it, but you can make a good Dry Martini or Bronx. If you like its dry taste, drink it neat, chilled or over ice. Martini Extra Dry is already a digestif and can be accompanied by various dishes. It goes very well with red fish generously flavored with lemon juice (and other seafood), as well as French onion soup. Well, a couple of cocktails for a snack:

How and with what to drink other Martini vermouths

Martini & Rossi never cease to amaze and delight their customers. In 2012, Martini Spirito, a male vermouth, entered the market with a strength of 33%. It contains bitter wormwood, the famous Lapsang Souchong tea, vanilla, several peppers from Indonesia, orange, aloe, thyme, raspberry and nutmeg. Such a brutal, which immediately pounces on the taste buds with tart oak bitterness and smoky tea tannins, then comes the attack with aggressive black pepper and other spices, but it all ends with a pleasant vanilla with a lingering bitter smoke.

The culture of drinking Martini Spirito has not yet formed. Excuse me, experts believe that you need to drink it in its pure form, slightly chilled, as one should drink such drinks. Culinary experts are still thinking about the best way to accompany such an exotic drink, while they agreed on cheeses and unsweetened fruits.

There is also the Rosato Martini, which Martini & Rossi has been producing since 1980. This is a kind of symbiosis of Bianco and Rosso, pink vermouth with cinnamon and cloves dominating in taste. Accordingly, you can drink it this way and that way. Salvatore Calabrese advises mixing it with pomegranate juice or fresh orange juice and flavoring it with honey a little. Martini & Rossi marketers recommend serving grilled green vegetables with Martini Rosato.

How to store Vermouth Martini

Vermouths are something between strong alcohol and wine, so storage should be treated with great attention, because over time the taste of the drink in an open bottle is lost. An open bottle of any Martini vermouth should be stored in the refrigerator for no more than two months. Within a month, vermouth can also be stored on the shelves, but then it is better to bottle it in smaller volumes to reduce the contact of the drink with oxygen. Compliant guys fill open Martini bottles with helium, thanks to which vermouth retains its taste for up to 3-4 months.