Carpano Antica Formula Sweet Vermouth
Vermouth was fashioned from adding herbs and spices to mask the astringency of bad flavored wines. It turned out to be a revolutionary ingredient in the birth of the modern American cocktail that started in the early to mid 1800's and is still prevalent today. Antonio Benedetto Carpano is credited for creating the first vermouth back in 1786. His 'antique formula' is preserved today in a unique bottling of sweet vermouth that has infinite libation possibilities. Sweet plummy red fruit and a full-on spice cabinet of enticing herbs and aromatics. A rich round palate with a core of acidity defines its greatest attribute - texture. This is an essential ingredient to crafting 'the best' Manhattan, perfect Martini, Negroni or is equally delectable on the rocks with a twist.
In Torino, 1786, Antonio Benedetto Carpano invented the commercial model for what we know today as red vermouth, possibly even coining the term "vermuth." The Carpano brand was formalized some years later by Carpano's nephew. The red vermouths of subsequent producers, such as Cinzano and Gancia, were their own riffs on what Carpano first successfully marketed. Today, production is in Milano, Italy.
This dark, mysterious vermouth is rich, complex and layered, boasting aromas of mint and other herbs, plums and figs, reminscent of Madeira. The rich flavors are hard to pin down: cocoa, red wine, almonds, bitter marmelade, hints of spice and toffee all play across the palate, finishing with a bracing bitter edge. This delectable sweet vermouth would shine in a Manhattan.