Vermouth e Tonica Cocktail Recipe
Red vermouth with tonic over ice — the cheapest good aperitivo there is, and the hardest to get wrong.
- Category: Popular
- Glass: Highball glass
- ABV: 8%
- Difficulty: Easy
- Prep time: ~3 min
Ingredients
- Vermouth di Torino60 ml (2 oz)
- Tonic water120 ml (4.1 oz)
How to Make It
- Fill a highball glass to the top with ice.
- Pour in the vermouth.
- Top with cold tonic water and stir once.
- Garnish with an orange slice and a couple of olives.
Garnish
Orange slice and olives
What it tastes like
It has a bitter backbone, it has a green, botanical backdrop, it is carbonated and it is low in alcohol.
The technique
Built in the glass. Ice goes into the serving glass, the ingredients go on top, and you stir once if at all. Anything carbonated goes in LAST and never gets stirred; every turn of the spoon costs you bubbles. Fill the glass to the rim with ice: less ice melts faster, not slower.
Glass and ice
A tall, narrow highball. The narrowness does real work — less surface area means the carbonation lasts longer and the ice melts more slowly.
Ingredient notes and substitutes
- Tonic water
- Carbonated water made bitter by quinine — that is what separates it from soda. Sugar content varies up to twofold between brands, and that directly sets how sweet the drink lands.
The Story
Vermouth di Torino has been made to a protected recipe since 1786; drinking it long with tonic is how Italians got it back onto young menus.
Frequently asked questions
- How is a Vermouth e Tonica mixed?
- It is built in the glass and served in a highball glass.
- How strong is a Vermouth e Tonica?
- Roughly 8% ABV as served — lighter than a beer — a long-conversation drink that takes a second round.
- Can a Vermouth e Tonica be made without alcohol?
- Simply leaving the spirit out does not work — the body and the bitterness go with it. The 86 alcohol-free recipes in the catalogue are built to hit that balance from the start.
- Is a Vermouth e Tonica hard to make?
- Easy. No bar kit required — a measure, ice and a jar will do.
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Alcoholic drink recipes are intended for those aged 18 and over. Please drink responsibly.