Noilly Pratt Dry Vermth

The base is white wine from grapes grown around Marseillan, mainly Picpoul de Pinet and Clairette. It spends months in large oak casks, then moves to smaller barrels that are left outside for a year in the sun, wind and winter cold, losing a few percent of volume to evaporation. The wine is blended, softened with a little mistelle, then macerated for three weeks with around twenty herbs and spices added by hand each day, including camomile, bitter orange peel and nutmeg. The Dry comes in at 18% alcohol.

The classic use is the martini, with gin or vodka, orange bitters and a lemon twist or olive. It is also a favourite in cooking, especially in sauces for fish. Once opened, keep the bottle in the fridge.