Thanksgiving is our favorite maximalist holiday, and we’re not about to let a day filled with gratitude and abundance go the way of overwhelm. Ensure a simple-enough menu stays manageable with a to-do list so you’re not waylaid by days-long side quests. Skip over the dish pileup with a groovy playlist and designate some helpers to wash and dry before dinner is even served. And what about the premeal cocktail hour? We have another simple fix: Leave the “signature” cocktail to another gathering. This year it’s just vermouth on the menu.
Specifically, stock up on Spanish vermouth, a.k.a. vermut, a fortified wine that’s spiced, often sweet, and designed for drinking straight. In Spain, where la hora del vermut is a beloved premeal ritual akin to Italy’s aperitivo, vermut culture has evolved to embrace myriad styles, especially leaning into luscious fruit profiles and richer textures. Think inky cola-esque bottles; floral, blush rosé vermuts; or even cinnamon-and-licorice-tinged vermut negro.
Slightly sweeter than its French or Italian cousins, Spanish vermut is also soft, herbal, and luxurious. It’s a drink with presence: notes of clove, cinnamon, orange peel, wormwood, even a hint of Dr Pepper, if you’re into that sort of thing.
Unlike the highly operationalized holiday Thanksgiving is often purported to be, at its core it’s a feast with the people we care about most. Vermut is a natural accompanist to such an event. It does not ask to be in the spotlight, in cocktails or otherwise. At its absolute best, vermut embraces the art of the pause, an invitation to slow down with nothing more complicated than an ice cube and an orange slice.
Quality vermouth will take your martini to places you never thought possible.
This ebony offering is sold in a stylish glass bottle that belies its complex makeup. The aromatic base of Macabeo grapes gets its color from unripe green walnuts, macerated with 150 botanicals before being aged in oak for six months. The resulting beverage reminds us of Spain’s famous kalimotxo cocktail (simply, red wine topped with Coca-Cola), charming without being complicated.
This vermouth is light on its feet, with a dusty, velvety finish. The family-owned winery dates back to the 1700s, and this bottle follows a treasured secret recipe. Made with aromatic Monastrell grapes, it rocks lightly earthy flavors rounded out by ripe raspberry sweetness.
Wormwood, rosemary, cloves, and 80-plus other botanicals go into this silky, sophisticated vermut. A few months in French oak contribute body and some tasty vanilla notes—just bust out the good ice cubes and a smattering of garnishes (olives, anchovies, citrus rinds) and you’ve got yourself a refined but casual vermouth station.