For a while there, vermouth was getting a bad rap. Winston Churchill famously cracked that he only glanced at vermouth when making a martini. Similarly, some restaurants ignore it altogether when “mixing” a martini, even though the liquid is a key ingredient in the classic drink.
We get it — vermouth conjures images of sticky bottles left to gather dust on the back of your parents’ liquor cabinet. But welcome to 2017, friend. Like amaro and other aperitif and digestif liqueurs, vermouth is back to reclaim its time, to borrow a catchphrase from Rep. Maxine Waters.
Vermouth can be simply defined as aromatized wine — that is, flavored with an infusion of spices, flowers, herbs and bittering agents before being fortified with a spirit, like brandy. There’s a whole world of vermouth, made from any number of base wines (red, white, even rosé and sherry), with an infinite number of flavor possibilities. Maximize vermouth’s potential by building deeply flavored cocktails — Negronis and Manhattans are a good start — or serving it over ice with a splash of soda and a twist of citrus.
As summer gives way to fall, Heritage Restaurant & Caviar Bar, the new Humboldt Park spot, has a house-made vermouth that speaks to falling leaves, chiller temps and candlelit dinners. A potion crafted by general manager/beverage director Jan Henrichsen, the house vermouth is an ever-changing chameleon, made with whatever seasonal and local ingredients Henrichsen can get her hands on.
The current iteration, red as a ruby, has an inexpensive red base (“I see no reason to spice, sweeten and adulterate expensive wine.”) steeped with angelica, chinchona bark, star anise, allspice, cinnamon and dissolved sugar. The mixture is lightly heated before being left to sit for a few days, so that flavors marry. To finish it off, Henrichsen macerates summer strawberries with basil and rosemary in the wine, finally fortifying it with dry sherry. The next batch, says Henrichsen, will be more herbal, with a white wine base and no sugar.
A secret, unlisted menu item, vermouth can be ordered as is ($4), served in a dainty little sherry glass, or in the cocktail Last Time You Called ($10), a Manhattan-esque drink with Union Horse Reserve Bourbon and Barkeep’s Apple Bitters. Henrichsen says she’s happy to pour the stuff for friends, so play nice and you might just get a taste.
Heritage Restaurant & Caviar Bar, 2700 W. Chicago Ave., 773-661-9577, www.heritage-chicago.com
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