Fellow imbibers, particularly you Manhattan and Martini afficionados, have you tried this vermouth yet? I picked up both the rouge and dry for my drinks, and I REALLY like this stuff. Made in Chambery, France, from the same recipe since 1821. It's held to the same appellation standards as French wines, making this some high quality and delicious vermouth in its own right. I prefer French vermouths to Italian, because I find them a bit more complex and dry, and they are less obtrusive in a cocktail. I found it at BevMo for around $11 a bottle (not sure exactly, but somewhere in that range, making it much pricier than the others they carry). I'd been using Noilly Prat, but this is a cut above...thoughts/opinions?
Dolin Vermouth
- Thread starter GoldenMonkey
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Fellow imbibers, particularly you Manhattan and Martini afficionados, have you tried this vermouth yet? I picked up both the rouge and dry for my drinks, and I REALLY like this stuff. Made in Chambery, France, from the same recipe since 1821. It's held to the same appellation standards as French wines, making this some high quality and delicious vermouth in its own right. I prefer French vermouths to Italian, because I find them a bit more complex and dry, and they are less obtrusive in a cocktail. I found it at BevMo for around $11 a bottle (not sure exactly, but somewhere in that range, making it much pricier than the others they carry). I'd been using Noilly Prat, but this is a cut above...thoughts/opinions?
I've heard good things about them, especially the dry.
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- #3
I made what may just be the best martini I've ever had last night:
3.5 oz Damrak gin
.75 oz Dolin Dry
two dashes Reagan's Orange Bitters #6
Stirred (NEVER shaken)
garnished with three olives (not the "martini" olives cured in cheap vermouth, but regular Spanish olives with pimento, well shaken out to impart minimal brine)
The Dolin Dry is very clear, so there was no "yellowing" of the drink - stirring made for a perfectly clear, wonderfully chilled drink.
Damrak is one of my favorite gins (if not THE fave). It's a really old Dutch recipe, and is dry and smooth, uncluttered/unfettered by a lot of the flavor components...not too much juniper, rose, herbal notes, etc. By contrast, I like Hendrick's a lot too, but it makes a horribly unbalanced martini...the cucumber and rose really throw it off. Great for G&T's though...
The orange bitters were an original component of the drink way back in its infancy, and usually left out in modern variations, but if used correctly really balances out the whole drink. Careful though...one dash too much, and you can taste it over the gin and vermouth. Two dashes are optimal, and really bring the gin and vermouth into harmony.
3.5 oz Damrak gin
.75 oz Dolin Dry
two dashes Reagan's Orange Bitters #6
Stirred (NEVER shaken)
garnished with three olives (not the "martini" olives cured in cheap vermouth, but regular Spanish olives with pimento, well shaken out to impart minimal brine)
The Dolin Dry is very clear, so there was no "yellowing" of the drink - stirring made for a perfectly clear, wonderfully chilled drink.
Damrak is one of my favorite gins (if not THE fave). It's a really old Dutch recipe, and is dry and smooth, uncluttered/unfettered by a lot of the flavor components...not too much juniper, rose, herbal notes, etc. By contrast, I like Hendrick's a lot too, but it makes a horribly unbalanced martini...the cucumber and rose really throw it off. Great for G&T's though...
The orange bitters were an original component of the drink way back in its infancy, and usually left out in modern variations, but if used correctly really balances out the whole drink. Careful though...one dash too much, and you can taste it over the gin and vermouth. Two dashes are optimal, and really bring the gin and vermouth into harmony.
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Outstanding cocktail! I'm a very firm believer that proper preparation makes or breaks any drink.
Consider if you had ordered this in most any bar AND they happen (unlikely) to get the gin/vermouth ratios correct. They would have left out the bitters, given it two limp-wristed shakes and strained it into a warm cocktail glass with brine-dripping olives. That drink probably would have wrinkled your lips, but your version is divine.
Consider if you had ordered this in most any bar AND they happen (unlikely) to get the gin/vermouth ratios correct. They would have left out the bitters, given it two limp-wristed shakes and strained it into a warm cocktail glass with brine-dripping olives. That drink probably would have wrinkled your lips, but your version is divine.
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- #5
Thanks Dane! Took me a while to get it JUST right, but even my wife, who cannot stand martinis thinks it tastes great.
Funny you should mention ordering one in a bar...I found a place that had Damrak, and I ordered one...figured this guy knew what he was doing...he asked me about which gin I wanted, offered a few samples, asked me how dry, etc. I saw the Damrak, which was my choice to begin with, and told him "not TOO too dry, three olives, and please don't bruise it"...I should have known better when I walked away to the sound of shaking, but I thought maybe he was making something else first. I got this nasty, watered down, cloudy, off-yellow too-vermouthy (Martini & Rossi...ugh) disaster with a slick of brine and bubbles floating across the top, and they wanted $9 for it!. I should have sent it back, but as it was we (a large group of us) were only planning on one drink anyway, so I just pounded it and cringed. Not a sign of the bitters either, lol...
Should have known better when my buddy's Manhattan was DARK BROWN...warning bells were ringing even then, lol.
Funny you should mention ordering one in a bar...I found a place that had Damrak, and I ordered one...figured this guy knew what he was doing...he asked me about which gin I wanted, offered a few samples, asked me how dry, etc. I saw the Damrak, which was my choice to begin with, and told him "not TOO too dry, three olives, and please don't bruise it"...I should have known better when I walked away to the sound of shaking, but I thought maybe he was making something else first. I got this nasty, watered down, cloudy, off-yellow too-vermouthy (Martini & Rossi...ugh) disaster with a slick of brine and bubbles floating across the top, and they wanted $9 for it!. I should have sent it back, but as it was we (a large group of us) were only planning on one drink anyway, so I just pounded it and cringed. Not a sign of the bitters either, lol...
Should have known better when my buddy's Manhattan was DARK BROWN...warning bells were ringing even then, lol.
Thanks for the Dolin review. The local BevMo stocks Dolin and I was interested in learning more. I'm with you on the orange bitters in the martini, though I only use one drop per martini 
Gotta love the evolution of an elaborate drink-mixing ritual that pays off in a winning result.
It's okay to be spoiled as far as mixing drinks goes. Most folks "in the know" have a hard time ordering from bars knowing what sort of massacre can happen. Cheers!
Gotta love the evolution of an elaborate drink-mixing ritual that pays off in a winning result. It's okay to be spoiled as far as mixing drinks goes. Most folks "in the know" have a hard time ordering from bars knowing what sort of massacre can happen. Cheers!
Thats the stuff you wave over the glass before you put in the Gin right 
The vermouth you mentioned is Dolin's "Blanc" vermouth. It is sweeter than the Dry, but not near as sweet as the Rouge. Of course any of these vermouths could be used in any cocktail; a Martini doesn't have to be made with only dry and a Manhattan doesn't have to be made with only sweet.
Combine them and it's called a 'Perfect' Martini/Manhattan. A Martini using only sweet is called a Sweet Martini (some say this was the original Martini). A Mahattan made with only dry is called, you guessed it, a Dry Manhattan.
I don't know of any classic cocktails which specifically call for Dolin Blanc, but use it like you would any other vermouth for a different twist on any drink.
Combine them and it's called a 'Perfect' Martini/Manhattan. A Martini using only sweet is called a Sweet Martini (some say this was the original Martini). A Mahattan made with only dry is called, you guessed it, a Dry Manhattan.
I don't know of any classic cocktails which specifically call for Dolin Blanc, but use it like you would any other vermouth for a different twist on any drink.
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- #10
I haven't tried the Blanc, but both the rouge and dry are good enough in their own right for an aperatif, that's for sure. The rouge isn't nearly as heavey as say, Punt e Mes, and has enough winlike complexity that shines through...again, it's not nearly as sweet as most.
Dane, I LOVE perfect Manhattans, but I couldn't imagine a martini like that...I know they exist, but it just seems weird. I'll have to try a perfect Manhattan tonight with both Dolins and Buffalo Trace bourbon...mmm...
Dane, I LOVE perfect Manhattans, but I couldn't imagine a martini like that...I know they exist, but it just seems weird. I'll have to try a perfect Manhattan tonight with both Dolins and Buffalo Trace bourbon...mmm...
GM, one of my favorite gin/sweet vermouth drinks is the Martinez (considered by many to be the predecessor of the Martini): Gin (Ransom Old Tom is great), sweet vermouth, bitters, and a touch of marischino liqeuer, stirred. ---salivating---
