Cocchi Vermouth di Torino Vermouth (750ml)

The Bartender's choice for the finest Negronis, and more...

The House of Cocchi (pronounced co-key) is a Torino winery known for an array of still, sparkling and fortified wines. In 2011 as part of Cocchi's 120th birthday celebrations, they revived their house vermouth, originally produced in 1891, resulting in the first genuine Vermouth di Torino (protected designation of origin). Botanicals include bitter orange peel, cocoa, ginger, rhubarb, grand wormwood, cinchona bark, sandalwood, musk, myrrh, nutmeg, and caramelised sugar which brings both sweetness and contributes to its copper-sienna brown colour. The nose offers moderate scents of cocoa and spiced citrus (blood orange?) making for a nuanced jaffa-like profile with a distant menthol / Alpine herb freshness that keeps the sugars muted. This is not a vermouth of extremes, rather, a light to medium bodied, gently bitter style (a more delicate expression than the likes of Antica Formula, which some find too easily overpowers cocktails). Citrus peel, raisin and sweet spice flavours come with a hint of sarsaparilla, the whole seamlessly integrated and beautifully balanced, ending soft and bittersweet with suggestions of quinine, tangy citrus zest and cocoa. One of the main attractions to this formula is its sheer mixability. It melts into whisky in a magical way, and probably just about anything else you care to throw at it. Use whenever a red, rosso, sweet, or Italian vermouth is called for. Enjoy it in a Manhattan, Martinez or Negroni - and of course, the quality is more than good enough to drink straight or over ice. Try it as an aperitif paired with olives and hard cheeses. 16% Alc./Vol.

Other reviews... 5 stars - diffordsguide.com

Giulio Cocchi Storico Vermouth Di Torino is a bitter sweet vermouth, amber in the glass with burnt orange peel, dried stone fruit, cocoa, anise, warming, sweet and long on the palate. 89 points - nataliemaclean.com