30 best Dry vermouth cocktails

At the time of compiling this in late July 2004, there were 940 Difford's Guide dry vermouth cocktails, and the following are my section of the 30 best cocktails with dry vermouth.

Affinity

A spirituous aperitivo-style cocktail, or an after-dinner sipper, which can be made with numerous different sweet vermouths or indeed a vermouth amaro

Amber Room No. 2

A subtle, delicately floral Martini.

The Atty Cocktail

My recipe remains pretty faithful to Craddock's classic 1930s proportions, but in line with modern bartending conventions, I now disregard Craddock's instructions

Bamboo (Joaquín Simó's recipe)

Dry, delicate. Aromatic and complex.

Bensonhurst

This riff on a Brooklyn is one of many to emerge since 2006 but is one of the more enduring.

Brooklyn

Perhaps my favourite of the many renditions of the Brooklyn cocktail due to being dry yet made approachable by faint sweet maraschino and bittersweet herbal

Burnt Fuselage

Cognac and Grand Marnier are well-suited bedfellows in this spirit-forward stiff steadier. Dry vermouth combines with these surprisingly well. Adding balance

Californie Palace

Vermouth-based and wonderfully aromatic with maraschino and monastic herbal complexity. Delicious as an aperitivo, digestive or nightcap.

Chrysanthemum

Herbal and aromatic, this benefits from the dilution that comes with a good long stir.

Clover Club (House-Made)

Made with raspberry jam, this is fruity, well-balanced and easy-drinking.

Dry Martini 'Preferred' (5:1 ratio)

This is my go-to Dry Martini, although I arrive at the same 5:1 ratio with a generous 75ml (2½oz) gin to 15ml (½oz) dry vermouth. I chose a 5:1 ratio

El Presidente

Rum and vermouth combine harmoniously in this delicate and subtly citrus-fresh cocktail. My previous El Presidente version involved the use of three different

Fairbanks No.1

Apricot liqueur dominates this cocktail but dry vermouth, dry gin, lemon juice, and dilution save it from excessive sweetness.

Ford Cocktail

The Ford Cocktail is a Martini-style cocktail sweetened by both the use of old tom gin and Bénédictine D.O.M. liqueur (not Bénédictine B&B) served

Joy Division

A 2:1 Dry Martini with a slug of triple sec and dashes of absinthe contributing zesty orange and subtle aniseed respectively.

Luigi

If you don't have tangerines/mandarins then regular orange juice will do, as will triple sec (as per the original recipe) in place of mandarin liqueur,

Matador

Best enjoyed as an alternative to a Dry Martini and best as a nightcap. The classic recipe is equal parts tequila, curaçao and dry vermouth, but I like

Merry Widow(er)

A Fifty-Fifty Martini with delicate herbal and aniseed notes.

Money Penny

Dry gin soured with a splash of fresh grapefruit juice and balanced with the merest touch of sugar.

Old Hickory (Britten's recipe)

Heavy doses of Creole-style bitters and orange bitters work with dry vermouth to balance this drink's rich sweet vermouth base. A great aperitivo.

Perfect Summit Manhattan

A riff on a Dry Manhattan given extra depth by the addition of dessert wine and whiskey bitters.

Poet's Dream

Subtly boozy, honeyed and herbal.

Prestige

Aged rum, pineapple, and lime are used with delicate but enlivening clove spice.

The Puritan

Gin contributes botanical strength, vermouth enhances the aromatics, while Chartreuse adds sweet herbal complexity.

Rose (by Johnny Milta)

Salmon-pink and wonderfully aromatic with dry vermouth and kirsch with a blast pf fruity redcurrant syrup.

Surf & Turf

Dry sherry adds a slight salty 'surf' note to this riff on the classic Turf Club Cocktail.

Turf Club (1900, Harry Johnson)

Despite the maraschino liqueur, this Martini-style cocktail is dry and punchy.

Tuxedo Cocktail No.2 (Savoy & Duffy's recipe)

A Fifty-Fifty Martini with added flavour and aroma thanks to the addition of a trio of bitters, liquor and liqueur.

Vieille Place

Spirit-forward and bittersweet yet balanced and eminently drinkable. Reminiscent of an old-fashioned but with the option to enjoy as an aperitif.

Yellow Daisy

This is the kind of cocktail that many bartenders will want to stir rather than shake. However, it is classically shaken. Herbal, zesty and spirituous.