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Don’t have this fortified wine on hand? Here’s the best dry and sweet vermouth substitute to use in cocktails and beyond.
Making a cocktail that calls for vermouth and don’t have it? Don’t worry, there are few options that are perfectly suited as a substitution. Vermouth is a fortified wine, meaning that liquor has been added to the wine to stabilize it.
Don’t have it on hand? Here are some of my favorite options for a vermouth substitute that are easy to find.
Types of Vermouth
There are two main types of vermouth: sweet (usually red) and dry (usually white). Here’s a bit more about sweet vs dry vermouth:
- Sweet vermouth is subtly sweet and spicy, with a hint of bitter on the finish. It features in many classic cocktails like the Negroni, Americano, and Manhattan.
- Dry vermouth: Dry white vermouth has a crisp dry flavor. It’s used in martinis, like the Classic Martini and Dirty Martini.
Best Sweet Vermouth Substitute
1. Dry red wine (& simple syrup)
The best sweet vermouth substitute? Dry red wine, with a touch of simple syrup. If you’ve got a bottle around, a dry red captures those bitter notes that are classic in a sweet vermouth. Add simple syrup to taste, then use it as a 1:1 replacement.
2. Sweet red wine
Another sweet vermouth substitute? Sweet red wine. A sweet red has a bit more of the sweet notes than a sweet vermouth, but it works in a pinch! Use it as a 1:1 replacement.
3. Amaro
A final sweet vermouth substitute? Any type of Amaro, a family of Italian herbal liqueurs that taste bitter (amaro means bitter in Italian). It encompasses a wide range of spirits: the most famous being ultra-bitter Campari and sweet Aperol, neither of which we’d recommend here. But there are so many different varieties in between: try a dark, sweet Meletti or Amaro Tosolini.
4. Tawny port or Madeira
Both bring a nutty sweetness. You can use them as a 1:1 in a Manhattan or a Negroni if you have them.
Best Dry Vermouth Substitute
1. Dry white wine
The best dry vermouth substitute? Dry white wine. Any variety of dry white is a great match for flavor, though dry vermouth is a little less punchy in its flavor. It works in a martini: but you’ll want the driest wine possible.
2. Lillet Blanc
Another great dry vermouth substitute? Lillet Blanc. Lillet (pronounced “Li-lay”) is a French aperitif: a fortified wine that’s flavored with herbs and citrus. There are are several types of Lillet made of different wines: Lillet Blanc, Lillet Rosé and Lillet Rouge. We regularly stock Lillet Blanc: it’s lightly sweet with subtle floral and herbal notes. You can use it in other cocktails like a Vesper Martini, Lillet G&T or Lillet Spritz.
3. Cocchi Americano
This aperitif wine works well as a substitute for vermouth; it tastes a little sweeter and more citrusy, but it works. Use it as a 1:1 substitute.
4. Sake
A final dry vermouth substitute? Sake. If you happen to have sake around, its dry flavor does have similar characteristics to a dry vermouth. (Have some left over? Try our Sake Southside Cocktail.)
Great suggestions of substitutions. More options than I expected. Clear, concise. Thanks so much!