Rosé Vermouth

Rosé Vermouth from Ferdinand's with Rhubarb and Wormwood

Rosé Vermouth from Ferdinand's Spirits is a German Riesling-based vermouth with 17 percent alcohol, produced in small batches by hand. Not a sweet mass-produced aperitif, but a bitter-fruity summer drink from the Saar valley.

Rosé Vermouth is the pink-hued aperitif wine from Ferdinand's Spirits in the Saar valley, based on Riesling from the Forstmeister Geltz-Zilliken winery. Its color comes not from wine, but from local rhubarb, red vineyard peach, and large-fruited cranberry. The 0.5-liter bottle contains the same cosmos of botanicals used in Saar Dry Gin, just in a more subtle dosage.

Rhubarb, vineyard peach, and a bitter core

Vermouth thrives on the tension between fruit and bitterness, and it is precisely this tension that is finely balanced here. The producer calls it bittersweet.

The sweet side is taken on by rhubarb, red vineyard peach, and cranberry, while elderflower, grape blossom, passion flower, and bitter orange peel contribute floral notes. In contrast stands the eponymous wormwood, supported by lovage and wild garlic, along with cinchona bark, which gives the whole a dry finish.

Fruity, floral, and herbaceous in the aftertaste, the Rosé remains significantly lighter than a red vermouth from Italy. At 17 percent alcohol, it drinks almost like a robust wine, serving as a reminder that vermouth is nothing more than aromatized wine.

On ice, with tonic, or with sparkling wine

The simplest way is also the best: six centiliters over plenty of ice with a slice of orange.

For something long and fizzy, mix with tonic in a one-to-two ratio; for a more festive touch, add a splash of sparkling wine. Those who prefer something stronger can combine it with vodka or white rum for a light aperitif cocktail. A sprig of rosemary in the glass brings out the herbal side. After opening, the bottle belongs in the refrigerator, as vermouth is wine and will lose its freshness there within a few weeks.

At the table, the Rosé pairs well with salted almonds, goat cheese, or a bowl of olives. To come full circle to the distillery, mix it with Saar Dry Gin for a martini where both share the same signature style.

What makes a vermouth a vermouth

Vermouth is not a spirit, but an aromatized wine that has derived its name and bitterness from wormwood since antiquity.

It became fashionable as an aperitif in Turin in the late 18th century, and the classic houses there and in Chambéry typically work with neutral white wine as a base. Ferdinand's takes a different path, using Riesling from the Saarburger Rausch steep slope, a south-facing site on Devonian slate cultivated by Dorothee Zilliken at the VDP winery Forstmeister Geltz-Zilliken.

The mixture is prepared by hand in small batches, and the same vineyard fruits that have been growing behind the Vallendar family distillery since 1824 also end up in the bottles of the vermouth series. Four friends from the region began this connection between vineyard and distillery in 2013, and the vermouth series followed shortly thereafter.

The manufacturer now positions the Rosé bottling as an aperitif, while the contents remain the same. Other bottles from the brand can be found in the Ferdinand's product range, and related aperitifs are available on the vermouth shelf.