It began with Cinzano
A random gift of a bottle of vermouth in 1982 set Joan Tapias to amassing a collection that is now on display in his museum/restaruant in the city of Reus
Joan Tapias associates vermouth with his childhood, when it was far from fashionable: “I remember my grandfather and father having an aperitif after mass,” he says. Yet in 1982, Joan was taken by surprise when his father made him a gift of a bottle of Cinzano. It was the start of a collection that culminated last year in the inauguration of the Museu del Vermut in Reus, the only one of its kind dedicated to the drink developed by Italian distiller Antoni Carpano in the 18th century.
For 32 years, Tapias rummaged through market stalls and attended auctions, keeping the trophies he found in a flat above his office. Suddenly, he had more than 5,000 objects, including many posters and 1,400 bottles: “I showed it off so often, I began to think it would be a nice thing to open it to the public,” he says.
Yet, his idea had to wait until he found the ideal location: an old factory in Reus's old quarter. His museum opened last September and it has been more successful than Tapias ever expected: “The factory was in an old modernist building by the Reus architect, Pere Caselles. When I bought it, it had been closed for 30 years,” he says.
A shrine to vermouth
In the renovated building with its preserved original features, vermouth is everywhere. Cases of glass, ashtrays, labels, trays, miniatures sit alongside posters. Among them is one measuring two and a half metres by two metres, advertising the Carpano brand, in tribute to the father of vermouth.
In the museum, which is also a restaurant, every space is dedicated to vermouth. Even the famous quote attributed to Dorothy Parker: “I like to have a martini, two at the very most. After three I'm under the table, after four I'm under my host,” decorates the bathrooms. There are rooms dedicated to the three brands of vermouth that still exist in Reus: Izaguirre, Iris De Muller and Miró. There is also a space reserved for Martini, the world's best known vermouth.
“When I started the collection vermouth was not fashionable, but it has experienced a significant boom, with the creation of new brands that are also represented in the museum,” says Tapias, who leaves the everyday management to his son.
Represented in the museum are 1,900 brands from 56 countries, while visitors can try 60 brands, “though 90% of people ask for Reus vermouth,” says Tapias. The museum serves vermouth in the traditional way, “with some crisps, olives and a little soda.” Tapias says vermouth is “ a drink to be sipped,” that is difficult drink more than two of because “the combination of herbs gives you a headache.” Although vermouth is of Italian origin, Tapias says that at least in Reus, the local brands are the most popular: “They are sweeter and smoother,” he says.
His father's gift that began the collection has pride of place in a glass case. Joan loves to show it off, as it was that Cinzano bottle that began a lifelong passion.