15 Popular Vermouth Brands, Ranked

Quality vermouth is a must-have for your home bar. The fortified wine is used to make classic cocktails like the Martini, Negroni, Manhattan, and countless others. Many people may assume that all vermouth is the same and there's no point in buying a bottle of it for a higher price, but this is very far from the truth. Just like any other spirit, the quality of vermouth can vary drastically from brand to brand and a low-quality vermouth will make a low-quality cocktail. Furthermore, just because a bottle of vermouth is expensive does not necessarily mean that it is high quality.

Vermouth is classified as any fortified wine infused with any variety of botanicals, but there are also different types of vermouth altogether. Vermouth can be dry, sweet, white, or come in its own specific style. The two most common types of vermouth are dry and sweet. Dry vermouth, which is the vermouth used in a traditional martini, is sharper and cooler with a strong pronunciation of herbs. Sweet — or red — vermouth is found in Negronis and Manhattans and is very fruit and spice-forward with more warmth and depth.

This basic and inexplicit categorizing of the spirit makes for a wide-open door for vermouth-making. While the different styles carry general similarities, the specifics within each brand and bottle make for entirely different vermouth and cocktails they contribute to. If you find yourself vermouth shopping, here is a guide to help you along the way.

Mancino Vermouth is one of the youngest vermouth brands on this list, founded a little over a decade ago in 2011. The brand's vermouth is made at a very well-established distillery, however, which has been making wine for over 60 years in the Piedmont region of Italy. With so many vermouths that have been around for over a century, it's strange for one to pop up in the modern day, but that's exactly what world-renowned bartender Giancarlo Mancini set out to do.

After visiting the winery in the city of Asti, he became inspired to develop his own vermouth. Today, his brand produces and distributes seven bottles. The brand's flagship bottles include Secco, dry vermouth, Bianco Ambrato, a white amber, and Rosso Amaranto, a sweet vermouth. The other bottles are separate expressions of those bottles. For example, Mancino's Vecchio is an aged expression of the Rosso Amaranto, maturing inside an Italian oak barrel for one whole year.

Mancino has done well to make a name for itself in this world of vermouth that is already dominated by iconic brands. The fact that it was founded and the vermouths, themselves, were crafted by an immensely acclaimed bartender just shows how great these work in cocktails or simply on their own. One downside, however, is the brand's price. A bottle of Mancino Secco costs close to $42 on average. Mancino makes very high-quality vermouths, but a bottle of vermouth at that price is difficult to justify.

Lillet Blanc is a French aperitif made in the Bordeaux region and can be found in some very iconic cocktails as well as an excellent substitute for regular dry vermouth in a martini. Lillet was founded back in 1872 by Raymond and Paul Lillet and has been producing this vermouth the same way ever since.

Lillet's location within the Bordeaux region makes for instant access to some of the most expertly crafted wines on planet Earth. Various white wines are blended together and infused with a variety of fruits. The brand is a dedicated and proud member of its home and strives to make its aperitif using a majority of wines made there. Some of these wines are bold, and some are more subtle, but all of them come together to make this exceptional and classic vermouth. The fruits used consist mainly of sweet oranges imported from Spain, Morocco, and Turkey as well as bitter oranges from Haiti. The oranges and their peels are soaked cold in alcohol before being removed from the liquid and pressed several weeks later.

As mentioned earlier, Lillet Blanc is a great substitute vermouth in a traditional martini, but can also be found in the original recipe for a White Negroni. The bold citrus notes of the aperitif play very well with the botanicals of gin, the two making for a blissful duo. The best part is that a full bottle of Lillet Blanc costs an average of only $24.

Casals is the youngest vermouth in the ranking, introduced in 2023. However, its lineage has been years in the making. The product is a part of Juan Torres Casals Distillery's portfolio, an offshoot of Spain's historic Familia Torres Winery. The family has been making wine in Spain's Penedès region since 1870.

With a commitment to sustainability, over 40 years ago, the Torres family began an initiative to rediscover ancestral grape types. The research has produced over 50 varieties thought to be distinct to date. Six show the ability to deliver quality wine fruit, including Selma, an ancient Catalan grape and one of the white varieties in Casals

Aside from innovation, Casals's creation is a love story. The original recipe for the vermouth dates back to 1928, when the second generation of the family, Juan Torres Casals, created the drink as a gift for his love, Pepa. The family discovered the original recipe in an old family cookbook.

The production begins with a white wine blend that ages in oak barrels for three years. After the initial aging, an infusion of 20 Mediterranean ingredients occurs from botanicals growing locally within Penedès, including tangerine peel, olive leaf, cardamom, rosemary, and wormwood, free of colorings or sweeteners. The resulting drink is smooth and rich, revealing sweet, spicy, bitter, and savory flavors. With 16% alcohol-by-volume and a $20 price, the product and its pedigree are among the most intriguing vermouths we have tried, earning it a top 10 ranking.

Gonzalez Byass is a Spanish brand of vermouth with winemaking traditions dating back to the 19th century. The brand's origins are found in Jerez and belong to Manuel Maria Gonzalez, who began his career as a wine trader. His business saw immense success quite quickly and Gonzalez decided to expand into wine production as well — however, he had little knowledge of winemaking.

He turned to his uncle Jose Angel, nicknamed Tio Pepe, who knew everything necessary to get going. Shortly after, the two came up with the most famous fino sherry in the world, known as Tio Pepe's Solera. These humble origins laid the foundation for what has since become an international powerhouse of the world of wine and spirits. Today, Gonzalez Byass produces and distributes wines from all over Spain, its own vermouth, brandy, English gin, and Scotch whisky.

It is its Vermouth de Copa, however, that is highlighted in and well worthy of a spot on this list. The three expressions of dry, extra dry, and red vermouth encapsulate the unique world of Spanish wine. The brand has been making vermouth since 1896 and still makes it through its combination of sherry, oloroso, and Pedro Ximinez wines that come together to make a vermouth that is earthy and bountifully aromatic. Gonzalez Byass's Vermouth de Copa will bring a completely new profile to whatever you use vermouth in, and a bottle can be bought for $27 on average.

Punt e Mes is an Italian sweet vermouth produced by Carpano, an iconic and storied producer of the spirit. Carpano was founded way back in 1786 by Antonio Benedetto Carpano. It was not until 1870, however, that Punt e Mes became one of the brand's most popular bottles thanks to one innovative customer.

Apparently, a stockbroker walked into the Carpano wine shop and requested his usual order of Carpano vermouth, but this time asking for an added half measure of bitter, another Italian aperitivo. The customer made the request using the phrase "punt e mes," a regional expression and the new invention turned into a widespread hit, becoming a common pre-lunch beverage and even the confirmed favorite spirit of Giovanni Agnelli, the founder of Fiat.

The simple addition of bitter became a new recipe to be bottled as an entirely new vermouth — an excellent and bold vermouth to up the ante on your Negroni. Normally, the sweet vermouth in a Negroni is there to balance out the bitterness of the Campari as well as complement its herbaceousness with herbs and spices of its own. By using Punt e Mes, you can play into the bitterness of the cocktail, and enhance its robustness and potency. Of course, it can fulfill any other sweet vermouth purpose, but, if you like Negronis, trying one with Punt e Mes is a must. A bottle can be purchased for an average of $24.

Lustau is one of the most well-regarded sherry and vermouth producers in Spain. The over 125-year-old company began in 1896 when Mr. José Ruiz-Berdejo began cultivating vines from his family's estate within the sherry region, selling the fruit to larger producers of the fortified wine. By the 1940s, Ruiz-Berdejo's daughter, María Ruiz-Berdejo Alberti, and her husband, Emilio Lustau Ortega, were crafting sherry within Jerez de la Frontera, the region's heart.

With an eye on the trends, seeing vermouth bars pop up in cities like Barcelona and Madrid, serving the drink on tap, the winery added a sweet Rojo-style vermouth to its portfolio in 2015. The 15% alcohol-by-volume drink blends dry, nutty Amontillado sherry and sweet, fruity Pedro Ximenez sherry, which age separately for 10 years, adding subtle tertiary notes to the mix. The lovely element about the aromatized wine infused with 10 botanicals, like cinnamon, cinchona, sage, and absinth, is that the drink has sweetness without being cloying and is bitter without being overly sharp. The botanicals add fruity, savory notes that meld with the underlying nuttiness of the sherry.

Continuing its innovation, in 2018, the brand added Rosé to its vermouth offerings and a zesty, crisp, clean, dry vermouth in 2023. The new dry vermouth uses biologically crafted manzanilla sherry that ages in Sanlúcar de Barrameda, on the Atlantic Coast. The proximity to the Ocean blows saline-filled breezes through the region, imparting a mineral-rich brininess to the nutty, citrusy vermouth.

Dolin is yet another storied vermouth brand that is just as revered and utilized by bartenders today as it was when it first hit its stride in the 1850s. In 1821, Dolin's founder, Joseph Chavasse, came up with his own vermouth recipe years before the Dolin brand existed. Chavasse was inspired by the extraordinary and complex liqueurs made by the Carthusian monks at their monastery and decided to utilize the surrounding alpine ingredients throughout his travels between Chambery and Turin. In 1840, Chavasse died and his daughter, Marie, married Louis-Ferdinand Dolin, and the two continued Marie's father's work under her married name. Since then, Dolin has remained a widely used and popular vermouth and is still easily accessible.

This accessibility is what put Dolin so high on this list. A full bottle of Dolin vermouth costs an average of $20. Plus, Dolin is regularly available in 375-milliliter bottles, which are even cheaper and bring less worry of them going bad before you finish using it.

In addition to its convenience and monetary advantage, Dolin simply makes great-tasting vermouth, no matter what bottle you try. Each is straightforward and classic tasting, rich with aromas of citrus and ethanol and flavors bursting with herbs and spices. While other more unique or unorthodox vermouths are great products that are better for specific uses, Dolin's trifecta of vermouth is distinctly classic tasting and will serve your vermouth needs brilliantly, whatever they are.

The two authors for this ranking have years of experience working with and enjoying vermouth. Brian Rooney has a passion for cooking, cocktails, and craft beer, diving into writing about the subjects in recent years.

Hayley Hamilton Cogill is a Certified Sommelier and Spanish Wine Specialist. She has written about the wine and spirits industry for over 20 years. The duo considered trusted reviews from industry professionals, the variety of options and styles available within the vermouth brand's portfolio, average price, availability, provenance, and personal taste tests of products listed to determine which vermouths to include, and the order to which each product would be ranked.