What is dry vermouth? How many calories are in dry vermouth? What is the difference between sweet and dry vermouth?
Many people drink dry vermouth, whether on its own or in a drink, but they remain unsure about what exactly it is. If you've grown curious, you've come to the right place. We will answer all your burning questions!
Pour yourself a vermouth cocktail, and let's dive in.
What Is Vermouth?
One of the oldest forms of alcoholic drinks, vermouth is a fortified wine flavored with herbs, spices, barks, roots, and other botanicals. The ingredients are fortified with distilled alcohol, which helps prevent spoilage. Vermouth comes in sweet red or dry white varieties, used to make well-loved classics like whiskey-based cocktails such as the Manhattan or vodka or gin-based cocktails like the infamous Martini. While vermouth is often enjoyed in cocktails, it can also act as an aperitif—sipped on its own. Lastly, vermouth tends to be higher in alcohol content than non-fortified wine.What Is Dry Vermouth?
Dry vermouth is a fortified wine that is typically clear or pale yellow. It may also be known as French vermouth or white vermouth. Dry vermouth receives this title due to its slightly bitter flavor profile. Most dry vermouths only contain approximately five percent sugar. While vermouth recipes vary greatly across distributors, the botanicals typically involved pair ideally with gin to make an excellent martini.
How Many Calories In Dry Vermouth?
Vermouth is an excellent option if you're searching for a low-calorie drink. The calories in dry vermouth typically land at 45 per one-ounce serving. For comparison, one ounce of vodka has sixty-four calories, and one ounce of whiskey has approximately seventy.
If you're looking for overall nutritional facts, a one-ounce serving of dry vermouth typically contains:
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45 calories
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2.7mg of sodium
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3.4g of carbohydrates
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0.3g of sugar
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0g of protein
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0 grams of fat
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209mg of calcium
A typical martini recipe asks for just half an ounce of dry vermouth, and sipping vermouth on its own is typically requires two to three ounces.
Popular Dry Vermouth Brands
As we've mentioned, brands, distillers, and distributors utilize different recipes when making vermouth, whether dry or sweet. Let's look at popular brands to see how many calories in dry vermouth exist throughout their products.
Noilly Prat Original Dry
With tasting notes of coriander, chamomile, orange, and sea salt, Noilly Prat Original Dry is a great component to utilize when stirring up any kind of vermouth cocktail or sipping straight. This dry vermouth comes from France, is 18% alcohol by volume, and contains 47 calories per serving.
Dolin Dry
Next up on our list is Dolin Dry, another French dry vermouth. It is one of the best dry vermouths to stir into a martini due to its herbal, peppery, citrus flavors. Dolin Dry is 17.5% alcohol by volume and only 31 calories per serving.
Carpano Dry
This Italian dry vermouth makes for a fantastic Perfect Manhattan cocktail. Carpano dry is 18% alcohol by volume and contains approximately 36 calories per serving. Carpano's dry vermouth is herbaceous and filled with Mediterranean herbs. It also has tasting notes of apple and citrus.
Martini & Rossi Riserva Speciale Ambrato
While Martini & Rossi carry standard dry vermouth, the Riserva Speciale Ambrato deserves special attention for its unique floral and vegetal flavors. It's more botanical forward than other Italian dry vermouths and delivers additional tastes of chamomile, apple, and pepper. We strongly recommend stirring it into a White Negroni. The calories in this dry vermouth are a bit higher than the others we've mentioned. It has approximately 50 calories per one-ounce serving. Lastly, its alcohol by volume is 18%
Cinzano 1757 Vermouth di Torino Extra Dry
Cinzano has Bianco, Rosso, and extra dry varieties of vermouth. But its 1757 Vermouth di Torino Extra Dry is something special. It's a small batched, handcrafted vermouth that tastes and smells like the Mediterranean due to its bouquet of botanicals, with a unique feature on Artemisia, or wormwood. You may pick up herbaceous notes of mint, oregano, sage, and thyme. Additionally, citrus flavors and spices like clove come through as well. This dry vermouth has 32 calories.
Sweet vs. Dry Vermouth
The main difference between sweet and dry vermouth lies within their flavor profiles. Sweet vermouth may also be called "red" or "Rosso" vermouth, despite being more of a caramel or brown color. Sweet vermouths have higher sugar content, but they are not sweet in the same sense as candy or baked goods. The general flavor profile is earthy and peppery with a subtle hint of sweetness.
However, you will taste the higher sugar content when you sip dry vermouth alongside its sweet counterpart. Dry vermouths tend to be much more bitter and herbaceous. Dry vermouths typically contain approximately three percent sugar, whereas sweet vermouths may contain ten to fifteen percent.
Calories in Sweet Vermouth
There isn't much of a difference between dry and sweet vermouth when it comes to calories. This similarity may come as a surprise due to the higher sugar levels, but sweet vermouth calorie counts typically fall around the 47 per one ounce serving mark.
3 Potential Health Benefits of Dry Vermouth
As we know by now, low calories in vermouth make it an excellent option for those looking to minimize how many calories they're consuming on a night out. One important thing to note: Vermouth is not an incredibly nutritious drink. It doesn't contain a lot of vitamins or minerals, and because it is an alcoholic beverage, it should be consumed with caution. However, there are findings that wine in moderation may positively impact one's health. Because vermouth is a fortified wine, it contains antioxidants to offer some health benefits.
1. Boost Immune System
Wine contains antioxidants and polyphenols. Both are excellent components for supporting overall immune health. Additionally, the added spices and botanicals used in the fortification process vermouth undergoes ramps up the number of antioxidants in the drink. Along with boosting the immune system, the benefits of antioxidants include fostering positive heart health and helping your body fight infection.
2. Promote Positive Mental Health
Research shows that drinking wine, or fortified wines such as dry vermouth or sweet vermouth, may lead to positive mental health changes. One study revealed that drinking it in moderation lowered the risk of cognitive impairments and showed greater brain volume. Of course, they mentioned the critical caveat that overconsumption could have the opposite effect, leading to a greater risk of cognitive impairment.
3. Support Heart Health
As we mentioned before, wines of all varieties contain high levels of antioxidants, and antioxidants are known to support heart health. One study showed that people who drank three glasses of red wine every day showed the least risk for developing cardiovascular disease. The study also found significant benefits for men aged 65 or older: decreased risk of myocardial infarction and lower blood pressure. Drinking wine (or vermouth) in moderation seems to be a practice that makes the heart smile.
4 Easy Dry Vermouth Cocktails to Try
Now that we know the calories in dry vermouth make it an excellent option for healthier drinking, it's time to stir up some cocktail magic! See below for three classic cocktails utilizing dry vermouth.
Classic Dry Martini
Ingredients:
- 1oz dry vermouth
- 2oz gin
Instructions:
Add both ingredients to a mixing glass, add ice, and stir for 20-30 seconds—strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with an olive or twist of lemon.
Perfect Manhattan
Ingredients:
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2oz rye whiskey
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0.5oz sweet vermouth
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0.5oz dry vermouth
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2 dashes of orange bitters
Instructions:
Add all ingredients to a mixing glass. Add ice and stir for 20-30 seconds. Strain into a chilled glass and garnish with a twist of lemon.
Old Pal
Ingredients:
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1.5oz rye whiskey
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0.75oz dry vermouth
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0.75oz Campari
Instructions:
Add all ingredients to a mixing glass. Add ice and stir for 20-30 seconds. Strain into a chilled glass and garnish with a twist of lemon.
On the Rocks
While this isn't necessarily a cocktail, it's important to reiterate that you should try sipping dry vermouth on its own. It's a delicious aperitif! Measure two to three ounces, pour over ice and enjoy. If you want to pull out some of the citrus notes in your dry vermouth, try expressing a twist of lemon or a twist of an orange peel over top of the glass.
Dry Vermouth: The Bottom Line
Dry vermouth is delicious on its own or in a cocktail. It potentially provides health benefits, and the calories in vermouth fall at a relatively low number, making it an excellent option for a health-minded sipping experience.
However you decide to enjoy your dry vermouth, there is one last thing to remember: put it in the refrigerator! Vermouth is a fortified wine, so it lasts longer than regular wine, but it does not improve with age. An unopened bottle of vermouth will be good for three to four years after bottling. After that, you should probably toss it.
Once you have opened a bottle of dry vermouth (or sweet), you should store it in the fridge and try to finish it off within three weeks.
Happy sipping!
