For my second drink last night, I asked Rhiannon for another low-proof drink, and she served up a julep. How, you might say, is a julep low-proof with all that whiskey? Good point, but like I said in an earlier post, a julep is anything with a spirit, mint, sugar, and ice as its only ingredients. Rhiannon made me a vermouth julep.
2 oz Carpano Antica Formula vermouth
1 tsp demarara syrup
several mint leaves
Rhiannon muddled the mint in the julep cup, making sure that all the sides of the cup were aromatized before discarding the mint. She then added vermouth and sugar, stirred, and filled the glass with cracked ice. The garnish, as you see, was a beautiful bouquet of mint.
If we're talking about making a drink with vermouth as a main ingredient, Carpano is the way to go without a doubt. Its rich, herbal character sets it apart from the better known and cheaper brands. I hate that it's $32 for a liter, but what are you going to do? Beauty can be expensive.
This is a grand concept. Although upping the vermouth to 4 oz would be keeping with the old school aesthetic.
ReplyDeleteYou can complain about the price of Carpano Antica, but I don't mind as much as long as it gets used before it goes bad, and drinks like this sure help to speed that process along!