Carpano Sweet Vermouth
Magnificent. Shall I end my review there? I suppose not. But that is the nut of what I think about Carpano sweet vermouth. Carpano comes from Italy, imported by Branca Products of New York City. It’s 16.5% alcohol, though you wouldn’t know it when you taste it. You will, however, wonder whether there’s wormwood or something funky in this beverage, because it has the power to get you incredibly loopy, as in spaced out and on the verge of seeing pink elephants loopy.

The other night I had a glass of it at a dinner party and was then asked to go buy more wine. As I clomped down the stairs I kept feeling slightly dizzy. And when I stepped outside, I thought I had just stepped into a Ralph Steadman drawing from Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas. All about me were bizarrely shaped humans in gross colors. Turns out, they were just Williamsburg hipsters lining up for an art gallery opening next door. Still, though, the Carpano made me see them for what they are- silly, self-absorbed and ridiculously dressed.

Carpano is a vermouth like none other I’ve tasted. Pour it and you see that it is caramel-brown colored, not ruby red like many other vermouths. Carpano is rich, viscous, and loaded with botanicals.

When I sipped it I could taste licorice, toffee, mint, rock candy, and I could tell there were other flavors that I just couldn’t put my finger on. This is a vermouth that you should drink straight, at room temperature.

Carpano can be drank straight, or it can be guzzled in conjunction with a meal. Have it as a pre-dinner aperitif or a post-dinner dessert wine. Some booze snobs might object to this suggestion on the grounds that aperitifs are bitter and are for drinking before meals while dessert wines are sweet and come afterward. This is true, but this rule does not hold here because Carpano is both bitter and sweet. It begins sweet then finishes bitter. As such, I feel it can be served as either an aperitif or a dessert wine. So bugger them.

Or, if you’re a whiskey sot, mix 1 ounce of Carpano with 2.5 ounces of Maker’s Mark bourbon to create a magnificent version of the Manhattan cocktail. The richness of Carpano combines nicely with the smooth, vanilla flavor of Maker’s Mark.

Finally, if you’re feeling like the uber-boozer and you want to fight the summer swelter, you can use Carpano as a glaze or mixer with vanilla ice cream. Either pour a little on your ice cream or take two ounces of Carpano and two scoops and whirl them in the blender just long enough to marry them. Then eat up.