What unites Marcelo Mastroiani, Annie Girardot, George Clooney, James Bond's popular movie hero? General affection for Martini. They all love this drink, and prefer it to others. Thanks to such famous people, Martini has long turned into a symbol of success and glamor.
There are many places in the world where winemakers make fortified wines with different flavors, but it is Piedmont that is considered the birthplace of the vermouth and the recognized leader in the production of this drink. This is a picturesque place in the north-west of Italy. High mountains, deep lakes, magnificent landscapes of Piedmont amaze with its beauty. This is an area where for a century and a half all the traditions of winemaking have been strictly observed.What constitutes the basis of the vermouth, gives it such a unique, individual, refined, soft taste and aroma? It includes essences, extracts from herbs, spices, alcohol and sugar (a small amount), various types of wines. It is known that the composition of the vermouth includes 42 components, there are dozens of aromatic plants, as well as dry white wine. Initially, vermouth was made only from fresh, young white wine, in which a small percentage of tannins, but today more often use both pink and red varieties of grapes. The first place is deservedly occupied by "catarrato" and "trebbiano".
Herbs used to make vermouth grow not only in the foothills of Piedmont, but throughout the world. From France brought gentian, from Sri Lanka brought fragrant cinnamon, from Madagascar carnations, from Morocco roses, white ash brought from the island of Crete, a cassock from Jamaica, from the Bahamas cascarillus, giving a drink sweetness, but it extracts wormwood gives the drink a particularly tart aroma and characteristic bitterness. The term "wormwood wine" (Wermut wein) was invented by the Italian herbalist (herbarista) Alessio, a native of Piedmont, who served at the court of the King of Bavaria. In German, the word "vermouth" means wormwood. A bitterish taste of the vermouth is also given by the oak, tansy, shandra, cinchona bark.
The most famous vermouth is Martini. The uniqueness, individuality, inimitability of each brand of Martini is determined not so much by the ensemble of herbs, flowers, buds, roots, bark of fragrant trees, as by their proportions and correlation, which are kept in the strictest secrecy. Martini is a complex, multi-faceted drink. The production of vermouth is a laborious, time consuming, lengthy process, but the result is worth it. However, experts argue that even if all components of Martini suddenly become known, then it is unlikely to repeat its taste. For the production of Martini it is important to correctly make a bouquet, to preserve the aroma, the naturalness of the taste of herbs, spices. All that concerns the cultivation of plants, their drying, obtaining extracts from them strictly corresponds to the recipes. All processes in the company for the production of vermouth are monitored by professionals, masters of their craft.
This refined, soft drink has conquered the whole world. Martini can be drunk in its pure form, it does not require snacks, unless the lungs. Vermouth can be diluted with ice, water, juice, vodka. They are interesting for their special flavor and aromatic properties, on their basis are made various cocktails, the number of which can not be counted today.
In 1925, for the first time after the International Exhibition of Decorative Arts in Paris, the general public was presented with a glass for Martini. It has a thin, long stem, protecting the drink from the heat of the hands, and expanded to the top, a conical shape. In such a glass, they pour basically cocktails, pouring up to the top about a centimeter.