Commercial vermouth has existed since the late 1700s. As seemingly with all bitter things, it was originally a health tonic, produced by monks and sold out of apothecaries. Eventually, it spread beyond its humble roots of Turin pharmacies and became adopted by high society. The name reflected its climb in social rank. After the most significant medicinal ingredient in the recipe it was originally named wermut, German for wormwood, but once it became a favourite with the Franco-Italian Duchy of Savoy, its German moniker evolved into the French, vermouth.

This brief summary of vermouth’s commercial roots highlights two significant and conflicting facets of the modern-day category. Vermouth is steeped in regional tradition that’s worthy of documentation and preservation, and it’s also never been above a facelift.

The tension between innovation and tradition isn’t unique to the vermouth category but, as the bartenders’ wine, the category plays a dual role as an element of experimentation and a way of unlocking the history of cocktails.

According to the Drinks International Brands Report, bartenders favour one brand above all others. Cocchi is a steward for Italian aromatised wines. Of course it has versions of the most common styles, but it has also acted as an archive of lesser-known regional styles that were at risk of fading into history – today, bottlings such as its Americano and Barolo Chinato are examples of vermouth styles that are difficult to find outside a bottle of Cocchi.

“Cocchi Americano and Cocchi Barolo Chinato are survivors,” says Roberto Bava, owner and managing director of Cocchi Vermouth.

“It’s always been a source of pride of ours to keep these styles going even when we were doing it by ourselves. In the ’90s, Barolo Chinato was only being made by us – now it’s a real category once again. It survived because of Cocchi. Americano is the same. We have been producing it non-stop for 135 years. Over the last century, there have been several Americanos but they all disappeared – in the ’60s and ’70s, many were very cheap and artificial, and people stopped drinking them.

“The idea behind Cocchi is that we are a full Pantone colour range. We want to offer the modern bartender a full range of vermouths while still being authentic and natural.”

Bava has been a driving force behind the renaissance of the category and is pivotal in its protection. Never wishing to see vermouth return to the dark ages of the mid-20th century, he co-founded the Vermouth di Torino Consortium and in 2017 was instrumental in the ratification of the Geographical Indication for Vermouth di Torino.

“When vodka was first popular, it was Russian, it was rough, it was pure,” he says.

“And then, after a while, we had lemon vodka, then you had blackberry vodka, and then vodka was anything. It became a cartoon of a category. We created the appellation to protect the style of Vermouth di Torino. It doesn’t make all the vermouths the same, but it means that the vermouths must be made with wine, they need to have wormwood. In the past people would be trying to make vermouth without bitterness and that’s a problem. We always say if someone wants to make a vermouth with banana, they have to do it over our dead bodies.

“If you want white truffle, go to Alba. If you want a kiwi, go to New Zealand. If you want a vermouth, go to Piedmont.”

The GI will hopefully ensure that nothing carrying the name Vermouth di Torino will return to the lurid, artificial concoctions cluttering the shelves of 1970s liquor stores. And critically, it should protect the line between a bartender and a history of cocktails. Theoretically it should be possible to make a Negroni today that’s roughly the same as the original recipe.

Ties to cocktail culture

As a result, today’s bartenders are the category’s greatest ambassadors and educators. As cocktail culture grows, the category, and its understanding among the public, grows with it.

“Vermouth has always been closely tied to cocktail culture, but the past decade has seen a real shift in consumer understanding and demand,” says Elena Branda, marketing manager at Perlino. “As cocktail education has spread beyond professionals to reach the everyday consumer, vermouth is no longer viewed as just a niche product. People now actively recognise its role in iconic cocktails.

“The connection between cocktails and vermouth has been fundamental to the category’s modern growth, with signature serves like the Negroni being named the world’s bestselling cocktail year after year. These drinks have given vermouth visibility in top bars, as well as credibility with consumers who are exploring quality at home.”

But modern bars don’t just serve Dry Martinis and Negronis, experimentation is an expectation and the vermouth category plays a significant role.

“I think evolution in our category is important, but it should always come with respect,” says Giancarlo Mancino, founder of Mancino Vermouth who has a background in cocktail bars of the US, UK and Hong Kong. Since launching his brand, he’s always maintained a close relationship with the world of bartending.

“Vermouth has deep roots – Italian and French styles each carry their own traditions, techniques and soul. For me, innovation doesn’t mean blending everything together; it means understanding where something comes from before you reinterpret it. When I create something new, I always start from a place of authenticity. I want to celebrate the Italian craft and the story behind it, not dilute it. But I also believe the category should have room to grow. If we explore with knowledge and intention, then progression becomes a way of honouring tradition, not losing it.

“Innovation always starts behind the bar,” Mancino continues. “That’s where I’ve spent years experimenting, understanding how flavours come together, and seeing what truly excites bartenders and guests. Each expression of Mancino – from Kopi to Sakura, Vecchio to Marino – was born from my own curiosity and a desire to capture a feeling, a memory, or a story through flavour.

“I’ve always believed that vermouth has so much more to say beyond tradition. I want to keep pushing the boundaries, to show that an Italian classic can continue to evolve while staying true to its roots. So, while many ideas begin in the bar, they come from my passion to surprise, inspire and bring new emotions to the category I love.”

Mancino’s ethos is simple – innovation while respecting the tradition and provenance of Italian vermouth. But what about modern brands that aren’t from the category’s historic homes of northern Italy, south east France or Catalonia?

Vault is a UK-based vermouth brand unburdened by the restrictions of historical production. Instead, it has forged a new, and undeniably British, identity through its choice of botanicals and approach to flavour.

“I wanted to make something to reflect the English and British palette, through flavour but also through the ingredients,” explains founder Dan Joines.

“English wine became central to it, which was a no brainer. That already gave it its own identity. Then the whole philosophy was just through a restaurateur’s mindset. I was looking at what our foragers were getting and what we could get most of the year round so I could build a business around it. That was essential. Foraged isn’t just a buzzword – these are great ingredients that you’re not going to get anywhere else. You’re not going to get something like fresh pine needles from your botanical supplier. From day one, Vault needed to have its own identity, so we needed to almost invent this new category rather than trying to copy anything else.”

To date, Vault has three core vermouths in its range alongside a number of limited and collaborative releases – Forest Red with pine needle, juniper branch and red moss, White Meadow with meadowsweet, thyme and dandelion, and Dry Coastal with oyster shell, samphire, sea purslane and seaweeds.

“We approach making stuff with a chef's mindset,” Joines explains, continuing: “We’re trying to build a recipe and to work with ingredients to figure out what is the best way to extract that flavour.

“We’re layering flavour in the same way a chef might design a dish. Is that ingredient better dried or fresh? What’s it going to work harmoniously with? How are we going to complement that with other ingredients? Are we going to use some juniper or orange or rosemary or sage, things that we are more readily available? Those ingredients have dictated the direction the products have gone.”

It’s tempting to dismiss vermouth as a niche – after all, how much engineering does a 3cl portion of your cocktail require? But to do so is to ignore the breadth of approaches within the category. The vermouth in your Negroni can be a link to history, a modern reflection of tradition, or something new entirely.