Aromatic, tasty and cool
A new generation is rediscovering the pleasures of vermouth as the ritual of the aperitif has become fashionable
For the past 150 years, vermouth has been so firmly established in Catalonia that even the word for the aromatic wine –vermut– has come to replace the word ‘aperitif' to refer to the ritual of a drink before sitting down to a meal. However, neither the fortified drink made with herbs and spices nor the social and gastronomic ritual were always so popular. There have been periods when vi ranci, mojitos, caipirinha or other cocktails ruled the day. Yet, the situation has changed over the past few years and we are currently living through a golden age for the aperitif. The question is, why has ‘el vermut' become so cool?
As with any social trend, there is more than one reason. In the first place, the sudden arrival of the economic crisis forced many people to reduce the amount of money they are willing to spend on eating and drinking out. Relaxing with friends with a few snacks and a refreshing drink is something that harks back to the past. Who does not recall as a child enjoying olives and cockles with the family at Sunday lunchtime while waiting for the paella to be served? Nor is it unknown for the past to impose its memories at times of general anxiety, as the mind summons thoughts of comfort and safety? ‘El vermut' is part of Catalan tradition and at the same time always affordable.
Nevertheless, today's aperitif has become a part of modern urban living, and it appears to be a custom that has emerged spontaneously, without the intervention of big-name brand promotions. People have rediscovered ‘el vermut' and it has been taken up by young people as part of a phenomenon that the book, Teoria i pràctica del vermut (Ara llibres), calls “the vermut generation”.
Vermouth generation
These are the children of the 1970s babyboomers, who are now between 35 and 40, who have left behind discos and clubbing since their children came along: “The vermut generation is looking for other places to meet and mix, and the aperitif allows them to spend time with their friends without the need for babysitters and without spending too much because this is not a time for large expenditure,” says one of the book's authors, Josep Sucarrats.
The phenomenon also has a geographical aspect, in the sense that certain areas have become associated with the custom. This is the case of Barcelona's Sant Antoni neighbourhood, between Eixample and Raval, which every Sunday has a secondhand book market that makes the area ideal for an aperitif. In recent years, the arrival of artists, young people and foreign residents in the area, has given the neighbourhood new life, among which are plenty of bars offering ‘el vermut'. The aperitif is something that appeals as much to hipsters as it does to families, while the trend has grown thanks to recommendations and images shared on social media. Instagram alone has more than 40,000 images filed under the hashtag #vermut.
Another aspect is that owning or running a bar serving aperitifs is much more economically viable today, especially for younger people. Without the expenses associated with a full-blown restaurant business, young entrepreneurs have been opening, or taking over, ‘vermut' bars, spreading the phenomenon further.
There are two good examples of this trend. The morrofi.wordpress.com blog, created in 2007 by friends Guillermo Pfaff, Marc Monzó and Marcel Fernández, has recommendations of Barcelona bars and restaurants. In 2010, Marcel decided to open a small vermuteria, Morro Fi, with some friends, turning it into a “magical” meeting point. Since then, three more have opened and the business now has its own line of products, including its own vermouth.
The other example is Miquel Ángel Vaquer (one of the co-authors of Teoria i pràctica del vermut), who was a leading figure in resuscitating the aperitif and giving it a modern appeal. Son of a winegrowing family in Terra Alta, Vaquer helped revitalise the aromatic beverage by repackaging it. If Barcelona is the city of design, ‘el vermut' was a prime candidate for a makeover and Vaquer took his inspiration from the idea of Absolut Vodka, which in the 1980s used bottles by leading designers. Vaquer helped make vermouth noticeable and a report in the Financial Times cites Casa Mariol, the wine bar belonging to the Vaquer family in Sagrada Família, which the young businessman turned into a fashionable aperitif bar.
Miquel Àngel believes that this “tasty, refreshing and low in alcohol” beverage is very Catalan in character: a little austere, laid back, good in social situations. Catalans like eating together at home with friends and family and increasingly vermuteries are offering food, making the ritual take longer and even replacing lunch: “Today, the way we eat has changed and often a long aperitif is as good as lunch, which in the past would have been unthinkable,” says Sucarrats.
Accompaniments
‘El vermut' is back, and with it a host of complementary activities are springing up, such as musical accompaniment and even aperitifs offered in gyms after zumba classes. Another proof of the success of ‘el vermut' is Albert Adrià, brother of famous chef Ferran, who opened the bar, Bodega 1900.
Albert Adrià's incursion into the world of aperitifs is also surrounded by nostalgia, when as a child every Sunday the bottle of Martini would make an appearance for the family aperitif.
The Italian brand, perhaps the best known vermouth on a global scale, has always been associated with glamorous publicity campaigns encouraging consumption of a second-choice beverage by linking it with cocktails, Hollywood or festivities. Martini is still the best-selling brand of vermouth in the domestic market and recently joined up with Barcelona's Gremi de Restauració to celebrate 10 days of vermouth that included 50 bars (La Monroe, Mercat Princesa, El Canalla, and so on) offering an aperitif that included a tapa snack for 3.50 euros, with live music selected by Pep Sala: Inma Ortiz, Smoking Tones, Quim Vila...
The company has also recently brought out a new variety, Martini Riserva Speciale, made with traditional methods from the Piedmont region that includes the use of local wines and herbs. Yet, there are no shortage of domestic brands on the market today, including Montana Perucchi, Yzaguirre, Iris, Miró, Dos Déus and Espinaler, among others.
Reus is the cradle of Iberian vermouth, and the city boasts some 50 different brands. There is also the Vinari prize awarded to the best product and the opening of the Museu del Vermut. While Catalans did not invent vermouth, it is a drink that fits perfectly with our preference for sitting outside in good company with a few olives and something tasty to sip.
Albert Adrià will never forget the Sunday aperitifs of his childhood with brother Ferran and their parents. It instilled in him a fondness for a ritual he says “is part of our culture”. So much so, that two years ago he opened the bar, Bodega 1900, serving aperitifs, but also offering other eating options: “An advantage of these establishments is that you can spend more or less, depending on what you order,” says Albert.
The vermouth Adrià serves is made especially for Bodega 1900 by Martini, and he estimates that he sells about 20 bottles a day. Albert's career is closely linked to his brother's El Bulli restaurant, where he was in charge of coming up with fabulous desserts (he was recognised by Restaurant magazine as the world's best pastry chef this year). However, his business side has been directed at his tapas bar, Tickets, with its unique mix of tradition and modernity, and now Bodega 1900, which has become something of a refuge for the younger Adrià brother.