Vermouth is an aromatized fortified wine flavored with botanicals, traditionally including wormwood, herbs, roots, spices, citrus peel, and flowers. Its identity sits between wine and spirits, since it begins as a wine base but gains structure, stability, and flavor through fortification and botanical infusion.
The main styles are dry, sweet, blanc, and other regional or producer-specific variations, with Italy, France, and Spain especially important to its history. Vermouth is central to classic cocktails such as the Martini, Manhattan, and Negroni, but it may also be served chilled on its own, where bitterness, sweetness, acidity, and aromatics define its balance.