Like many who got into making sourdough bread from scratch, we tackled DIY vermouth. If you don’t want to source all these ingredients to make your own, the results are like Carpano Antica Formula.
Makes
1.5 quartsIngredients
- 1 cinnamon stick
- ½ scraped vanilla pod
- 10 cardamom pods
- 1 tablespoon wormwood
- 1 tablespoon angelica root
- 1 tablespoon gentian root
- 1 teaspoon juniper berries
- 1 teaspoon allspice
- 5 dried apricots sliced
- 1 orange peel
- 1 cup vodka
- 1 bottle 750 milliliters dry white wine, such as pinot grigio
- 1 cup tawny port
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup brandy
Instructions
- Combine cinnamon, vanilla pod, cardamom pods, wormwood, angelica and gentian roots, juniper berries, allspice, apricots, and orange peel into a nonreactive container and add vodka. Infuse for 24 hours. Strain infusion, pressing firmly to extract as much liquid as possible, then strain again through cheesecloth or coffee filter into a large jar. Add white wine and tawny port.
- Combine sugar and ¼ cup of water in a saucepan and place over high heat. Swirl pan so that the sugar melts. Bring to a boil, lower heat to medium, and keep swirling until the syrup caramelizes. Remove from heat and add brandy, stirring to recombine if the caramel seizes (you may have to stir for a while). Add this mixture to your new bottle of homemade sweet vermouth. Like all vermouths, this should be stored in the refrigerator and consumed within 3 months.
