A Spirited Guide to Vermouth

An aromatic journey with botanical notes, classic cocktails and elegant recipes

Vermouth is currently experiencing a revival, and we can't seem to get enough of it. In A Spirited Guide to Vermouth, Jack Adair Bevan celebrates this versatile drink and its botanicals, drawing out vermouth's history and its delicate herbal flavours with recipes for cocktails, and some food to accompany them.

As an award-winning food and drink writer, and one of the first restaurateurs to make his own vermouth, Jack Adair Bevan is the perfect guide through vermouth's rich history and recent resurgence. As well as Jack's original recipes, A Spirited Guide to Vermouth also contains recipes contributed from the likes of Russell Norman, Olia Hercules, Gill Meller and Jeremy Lee.

With cocktails ranging from a Toasted Nut Boulevardier to a Perfect Manhattan, and from a Blood Orange Vermouth and Tonic to a Rosemary Bijou, the book also has dedicated sections exploring classics such as the Martini and the Negroni.

This book will take you on a botanical journey of discovery and teach you not only how to make your own vermouth, but also how to use it in your cooking, from vermouth-braised red cabbage to Negroni Bara Brith, along with plenty of food and drink recipes to accompany the aperitivo hour.

Praise for A Spirited Guide to Vermouth

‘Jack has written a book I didn't realise I needed but now can't imagine not having. It's comprehensive, entertaining, fascinating and eminently handy, too. If you're serious about Italian food and drink, A Spirited Guide To Vermouth is an essential addition to your library.

Russell Norman

'A genuine ode, written with style and substance in equal measure'

Gill Meller

My very first drink in Soho at an age best undisclosed was a glass of Chambery at The French House served by the Gaston himself. I have been devoted to vermouth ever since. A book devoted to Vermouth by the able Jack Bevan is a joy filled double whammy. Great drinks require as much artistry as food and this book proves the case mightily.

Jeremy Lee

‘A Spirited Guide to Vermouth was recommended to me by no less a figure than Nigella Lawson . . . Bevan is on a mission to revitalise the reputation of [this] drink’.

Henry Jeffreys ― The Spectator