Joseph Noilly is credited with creating what we know today as dry vermouth in 1813. Noilly Prat, while one of the most recognizable vermouth brands, is a bit of an outlier even within the French dry category on account of its salinic, oxidative flavors. Vermouth de Chambery style vermouths tend to be brighter and fruitier.
Many consider dry vermouth and French vermouth to be synonymous with each other. In old cocktail books, this was often the case. But while the French introduced the drier Chambery style of vermouth to the world as well as the first blanc, most vermouth producers these days will release dry, sweet white, and sweet red styles, making the French vs. Italian designation more or less obsolete.
That said, the French dry vermouths I've tasted still tend to represent the classic Chambery style nicely. They're lighter, drier, and notably less bitter than their Italian counterparts. French dry vermouths also have an emphasis on more delicate, floral botanicals.
Overall, I've found the French are still consistently making the best dry vermouth.
There isn't a single bottle on this list I wouldn't recommend. Standout vermouths include the industry-standard Dolin Dry, the non-traditional La Quintinye Extra Dry, and Maurin's slightly heavier Dry offering.
If you're new to the world of vermouth, check out my Introduction to Vermouth post to learn some basics, introduce yourself to some of the terminology used, and get a general overview of how these guides are structured (and why). Then join me back here to get into the details!
Boissiere Extra Dry
Origin: Italy (France from 1857 to 1971)
Producer: Boissiere, distributed by Palm Bay International
ABV: 18%
Wine Base: N/A
Known Botanicals: at least 8, wormwood, gentian, elderflower, bitter orange, iris, chamomile, gentian, coriander
Sugar: N/A, presumably < 30 g/l
Nose: pineapple, lychee, rose
Palate: white raspberry, gentian, coriander, orange blossom, cumin
Finish: gentian, raspberry, orange blossom, dandelion
Additional Notes: Crystalline appearance. Bone-dry, bright, and acidic with a very thin body. A Chambery style vermouth originally produced in France from 1857 until 1971 when production moved to Turin, Italy. Because of this, I've opted to include Boissiere in both my French and Italian guides.
Dolin Dry
Origin: France
Producer: Dolin, distributed by Haus Alpenz
ABV: 17.5%
Wine Base: Jacquere, Ugni Blanc/Trebbiano
Known Botanicals: 17 total, wormwood, brooklime, rose, orange bark, verbena, yellow genepi
Sugar: 30 g/l
Nose: oregano, basil, pineapple, lychee, dry forest, cinnamon
Palate: pineapple, oregano, grass, green apple, lemon, mugwort, lime
Finish: marjoram, lemon verbena, pineapple, walnut, faint wormwood, nutmeg
Additional Notes: Golden color with a light-green tinge. Claims to be the only remaining producer of Vermouth de Chambery. Medium body. The embodiment of the Chambery style and the benchmark for most dry vermouth. Light, complex flavors balance fruit and savory herbs with very little bitterness. It generally mixes well with everything.
La Quintinye Extra Dry Vermouth Royal
Origin: France
Producer: La Quintinye
ABV: 17%
Wine Base: Ugni Blanc/Trebbiano
Known Botanicals: 27 total, wormwood, angelica, cinnamon bark, quassia amara, ginger, green cardamom, vine flower, licorice, iris root, bitter orange, nutmeg, cinchona
Sugar: N/A
Nose: pine, sap, lemon, rosemary, lavender
Palate: rosemary, sage, licorice, orange, chamomile, nutmeg
Finish: rosemary, wormwood, lemon oil, eucalyptus, forest floor musk
Additional Notes: Vibrant golden color. Pineau des Charentes used in addition to neutral grape spirit to fortify. A very bold, piney vermouth with a light, oily body. Incredible stuff, but trickier to mix with since it doesn't fit a traditional dry vermouth profile. I found it to be overpowering in just about every classic cocktail I tried it in. That said, it shines in spritzes and makes for an excellent wintery modifier.
Maurin Dry
Origin: France
Producer: Maurin, distributed by Pacific Edge Wine & Spirits
ABV: 17%
Wine Base: N/A
Known Botanicals: at least 9, wormwood, coriander, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, gentian, orange, cardamom, lemon
Sugar: N/A
Nose: orange, rosemary, cinnamon, pine, gentian
Palate: orange, gentian, peach, lemon oil, cognac, cranberry, cinnamon
Finish: orange, cinnamon, sage, nutmeg
Additional Notes: Light orange color. Very confectionary, an outlier in the French dry category.
Noilly Prat Extra Dry
Origin: France
Producer: Noilly Prat, distributed by Bacardi Limited
ABV: 18%
Wine Base: Clairette
Known Botanicals: 14 total, wormwood, chamomile, nutmeg, bitter orange, gentian, raspberry
Sugar: 35 g/
Nose: raisin, orange, green apple, peach, rose, chamomile, pear, lemon, cinchona
Palate: lemon, raisin, white tea, chamomile, coriander, bay leaf, orange, green apple, raspberry
Finish: pineapple, cinchona, raspberry, chamomile, bay leaf, white leaf, cherry blossom
Additional Notes: Faint straw yellow appearance. A response to the popularity of the bone-dry martini and vodka martinis, this vermouth was made for the American market. Reformulated and arguably improved in 2020.
Noilly Prat Extra Dry (discontinued formula)
Origin: France
Producer: Noilly Prat, distributed by Bacardi Limited
ABV: 18%
Wine Base: Clairette
Known Botanicals: 14 total, wormwood, chamomile, nutmeg, bitter orange, gentian, raspberry
Sugar: 29 g/
Nose: lemon, mango, peach, hay, green apple, bay leaf, chamomile, papaya
Palate: lemon, cinchona, apple, grass, pear, chamomile, white pepper
Finish: lemon, cinchona, apple, raisin, grass, faint wormwood, white pepper, dandelion
Additional Notes: As of 2020, this formula was discontinued and replaced with a brighter, fruitier, more acidic expression. Almost clear in color. Bone dry with light acidity. A response to the popularity of the bone-dry Martini and vodka Martinis, this vermouth was made for the American market.
Noilly Prat Original Dry
Origin: France
Producer: Noilly Prat, distributed by Bacardi Limited
ABV: 18%
Wine Base: Picpoul, Clairette
Known Botanicals: 20 total, wormwood, chamomile, nutmeg, bitter orange, gentian, raspberry, coriander, cardamom, elderflower, centaury, clove
Sugar: 35 g/l
Nose: peach, white pepper, tarragon, coriander, chamomile, lemon, cinnamon, raspberry, elderflower
Palate: elderflower, chamomile, orange, cinnamon, wormwood, lemon, raspberry
Finish: orange, peach, chamomile, elderflower, coriander, tarragon, wormwood, gentian
Additional Notes: Straw yellow color. Oily texture with a medium-light body. Fruity and spiced. Tons of elderflower and chamomile. Salinic.
Noilly Prat Original Dry (discontinued formula)
Origin: France
Producer: Noilly Prat, distributed by Bacardi Limited
ABV: 18%
Wine Base: Picpoul, Clairette
Known Botanicals: 20 total, wormwood, chamomile, nutmeg, bitter orange, gentian, raspberry, coriander, cardamom, elderflower, centaury, clove
Sugar: 40 g/l
Nose: tarragon, orange, chamomile, sherry, pear, millet, coriander, fig
Palate: orange, underripe pear, coriander, wormwood, tree bark, hay, nutmeg, butterscotch, gentian
Finish: tarragon, nutmeg, wormwood, lemon, chamomile, coriander, Sichuan peppercorn, hay
Additional Notes: As of 2020, this formula has been discontinued and replaced by a lighter, fruitier update by the same name. Rich, golden straw colored. Oily texture with a medium body. One of my favorite mixing vermouths as it plays well with most spirits and its sugar content helps it hold up to dilution. I find it especially successful in any shaken cocktail which calls for dry vermouth (i.e., Clover Club, Scofflaw, etc.).
Routin Dry
Origin: France
Producer: Distillerie des Alpes
ABV: 16.9%
Wine Base: Sauvignon, Jacquere
Known Botanicals: 17 total, wormwood, rose petals, juniper, rosemary, bitter almond
Sugar: 24 g/l
Nose: raisin, pineapple, orange, Pineau des Charantes, apple, sage, lemon
Palate: wormwood, apple, sage, juniper, rose, orange, raisin, fig, lemon, bark
Finish: wormwood, lemon, rose, savory, lavender, sage, tarragon, stemmy
Additional Notes: Light rosy orange color. Fantastic, but requires a bit of rejiggering in classics as it is particularly bitter and salinic. Tends to echo the juniper notes in gin.
Will accept donations for any missing vermouths.
Vermouth Guides
Check the individual regional Vermouth guides for more detailed information on regional styles and recommended bottles:
Dry Vermouth
Sweet White Vermouth
Sweet Red Vermouth
Quinquina and Americano
Please send updates and corrections to brian@corpserevived.com.
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