Vermouth Goes... Tiki?!

I’m somewhat embarrassed to confess that one of my blind spots regarding spirits is aperitifs, especially vermouth. Of course I use the stuff — you can’t have a martini or a Manhattan without it — but I’m not familiar with a whole lot of different vermouths, and I’ve never really done the deep dive under the hood to find out what makes them tick.

So when Noilly Prat, one of the seminal vermouth brands, having been in the business since 1855, came calling to find out if I wanted to write about them, I had precious few arrows in my proverbial quiver. But there was one burning, vermouth-related question I’d long wondered about: why are there no tiki cocktails with vermouth? I always assumed it was because the flavor of the aromatized wine doesn’t go with the classic tiki ingredients (rum, lime juice, orgeat, etc.). I mean, if you know what a dry vermouth tastes like, and then you imagine it in a Jet Pilot or a Zombie or what have you, there’s definitely a bit of flavor disconnect.

But an opportunity had presented itself, and I ran with it. Create a recipe for a tiki cocktail that uses Noilly Prat AND actually tastes good and I’ll make it at home and provide the recipe. We can bridge cultures, cross divides, heal the damn world. We can do this. Can’t we?

Yes, apparently, we can. No thanks to me, as I didn’t come up with the recipes — there’s a pair of ‘em — but massive thanks to Courtney Lane, Noilly Prat’s brand ambassador, who was able to rise to the challenge in style. Here’s what she came up with:

THE GOLDEN JUNGLE


INGREDIENTS:
1/2 oz. Puerto Rican rum (I used Don Q’s new 7 year old)
1/2 oz. Jamaican rum (I used Ten To One, which is partly Jamaican pot still; Appleton would also work well
1/2 oz. Noilly Prat Original Dry vermouth
1/2 oz.Noilly Prat Rouge vermouth
1/2 oz. Campari or similar bitters (I used St. George’s Bruto Americano)
1 oz. pineapple juice (I used fresh but canned/juice cocktail might work better)
3/4 oz. fresh squeezed lime juice
1/4 oz St~Germain elderflower liqueur
1/4 oz. orgeat
Absinthe mist

METHOD:
Combine all ingredients except absinthe in a shaker, shake vigorously. Strain over crushed ice in ceramic cocktail mug or favorite tall glass. Spray absinthe mist on top.Garnish with pineapple leaves (I didn’t have any of those, as you can see), pineapple wedge, brandied cherry and metal straw.

SO HOW WAS IT?
I made it with fresh squeezed pineapple juice instead of the sweetened canned or bottled stuff, and I think that worked against it. It was a little dry, astringent, overly acidic — something was needed to smooth out the rough edges. That something turned out to be a quarter ounce of orgeat, which added a silkier texture and brought everything else into harmony… even the vermouths. Their flavors were absolutely present, and while the winey notes weren’t expected, they were pretty cool. This is one I’d drink again for sure.

 ORIGINAL DRY TAI

INGREDIENTS:
3/4 oz. white rum (I used Privateer)
3/4 oz. dark rum (I used Appleton’s new 8 year old)
3/4 oz. Noilly Prat Original Dry vermouth
1/2 oz. orange liqueur (I went a little nuts and used Grand Marnier; Pierre-Ferrand Dry Curaçao is also recommended)
1/2 oz. orgeat
1/2 oz. fresh squeezed lime juice
Angostura bitters float (a few healthy dashes)

 METHOD

Put all ingredients except the Angostura bitters in an ice-filled shaker, shake vigorously. Strain into an ice-filled glass (I went with a rocks glass here, but it’s your call), top with bitters. Garnish with orange slice, mint and nutmeg/ cinnamon.

SO HOW WAS IT?

Since this is basically a traditional mai tai with the addition of dry vermouth, and I drink my fair share of mai tais, the Noilly Prat really stood out. And I’m not gonna lie, it was weird. Having those wine-and-botanical notes bouncing around in what’s normally a delicate balance of sweet and tart was a tad disconcerting at first. But each sip got me thinking, hmmmm, this is weird in a good way. I plan to tinker with the recipe a little and see if it can handle more vermouth, because it’s a really interesting idea that could yet become an off-the-wall masterpiece.

THE VERDICT

Would I recommend putting vermouth in all your tiki drinks? Um… no. Would I recommend giving the Golden Jungle a whirl? Absolutely. And depending on your level of adventurousness, the Dry Tai as well. And of course if you have your own tiki-vermouth cocktail recipe, put it in the comments section! I’ve got a lot of Noilly Prat that’s waiting to be experimented with.