That's very interesting @cascode I've heard people going back and forth on the dry versus extra dry around here. Funnily, it took me some effort to find a bottle of the dry!

@Ancient33w Yes, Carpano is worth the money but only if it will be used reasonably quickly. It always surprises me just how fast vermouth goes "flat". I indulge in Carpano Antica if I'm having a cocktail party, but for general use I stick to Dolin.

Nice review. Dolin and Noilly are my usual vermouths but I have tried others. I have tried Antica 1786 and it was amazing but a bit pricey.

@ContemplativeFox We only get one Noilly Prat here - the Original French Dry. I think the other varieties are only sold in the US. Very occasionally you can get Noilly Rouge in TRE, but I wouldn't bother.

@WhiskeyLonghorn Ah, I've seen her videos too. I'll need to look for the vermouth one :)

Thanks for the recs @cascode . I was thinking of giving Dolin or Lustau a shot next. For Noilly Prat, do you have a recommendation on dry vs extra dry!

@WhiskeyLonghorn Ah! The lovely Cara Devine - she's great and hosts the most professional and informative bar vlogs on Youtube (I'm a Patreon supporter). Montenegro is certainly the first amaro I'd suggest - very versitile. Vecchio ds Capo is just as good, but hard to find in your neck of the woods, I believe. If you enjoy the Monte, follow up with Cynar, Lucano or Averna. They have slightly more robust characters, and if you like any of them you'll like them all. There are literally hundreds of amari, and I'd bet there are many being produced by US wineries and distilleries that are worth a try as well.

@ContemplativeFox Carpano Antica 1786 is probably my favourite. It's spicy/sweet and almost like an amaro. Dolin is a great all rounder and very affordable. Cocci and Routin are both also good red vermouths. As blancos I suggest Lustau, Carpano, Dolin or Noilly Prat. Lillet isn't precisely a Vermouth, more an aperitif, but it can substitute just fine.

@cascode thanks for the tips. You’re quite right. After whiskey, everything else seems affordable. I was thinking about Amari as well, and what to pick up first. Based on your recent reviews I was looking at a bottle of Montenegro. What are your thoughts?

@ContemplativeFox I got the Dolin because I see it at every liquor store, but I also plan on trying Lilet, Cochi, and Martini Rossi products in the coming seasons. I found a YouTube channel called “Behind the Bar”, which is hosted by a very knowledgable young Scottish woman who works at a bar in Melbourne. She made a very detailed video on vermouth that helped me out.

Thanks for the tips on cocktails to use as benchmarks @cascode ! Do you have any vermouth you recommend for beginners?

@WhiskeyLonghorn Some of the nice things about expanding your tasting journey into amari, liqueurs and aromatized wine is that it is less expensive than exploring whisky, the alcohol content is lower and they are extremely versatile products. Adding just a few to the bar opens lots of possibility. All vermouth is not the same, so try several – one or two will stand out for your palate. I taste all these drinks neat to start with, and over time some become standbys as aperitifs and digestifs. Try them all in long drinks without any extra spirits – just plain soda water, tonic, ice, juices, peel, garnishes etc. My go-to test cocktails for these products are the Manhattan, metropolitan, negroni, Jean Harlow and boulevadier. Try swapping scotch (particularly peated scotch) in the usual Canadian, bourbon or rye cocktails, and experiment with some of the highly flavoured gins.