Raise your (low ABV) glass to the future of drinking

Vermouth is not just for martinis and negronis, it’s turned a new leaf and is forming a trend for lower alcoholic spritz-style drinks

Perfect for a lightfooted cocktail and not as strong as gin

We are more health-conscious than ever before. Organic food consumption is higher than ever and people are choosing to follow a diet with less meat. And now we’ve been advised to suggested five fruit-and-veg a day to a whopping 10.

So it was only a matter of time until our beloved cocktails had the same treatment. Drinking responsibly – as we call it – is about watching not only how much alcohol we consume, but how strong it is and what it’s made with.

As much as we love gin, at 37.5% ABV (alcohol by volume) in the EU, it’s strong and comes with its consequences if copious amounts are consumed.

Instead of gin, vodka, rum and other strong spirits, swap these for something much lighter to essentially create a spritz. For one, it’s lighter and longer and two: you’re consuming less alcohol. So if you’re having after-work drinks that inevitably don’t involve a proper dinner, low-ABV drinks are the answer.

You won’t feel like a teenager drinking something like a pressed elderflower out of an orange juice glass with a naff straw, but neither will you be reaching for the paracetamol the next morning, following too many wonderfully concocted drinks with handfuls of shots in them.

Low-ABV drinks are typically made with vermouths. But don’t confuse these diluted versions with the ultra-strong martinis that after just a whiff could be enough to topple you over, or a negroni, which also packs a punch. And just because it’s a lower rate of alcohol, doesn’t mean less flavour.

Five low ABV cocktails to try: 

 

The R&R, Craft London, £8

Australasian spritz, Australaisa, The Avenue, Manchester, £9.50

Saffron spritz, Rail House Café,London £10.50

Goose & Buffalo, Hamilton's, Edinburgh, £8

Cynar gin fizz, Polpo, across the country, £8

Essentially, it’s about creating and enjoying full-bodied drinks without the hangover. In order for a drink to be classified as a vermouth, the base needs to contain wormwood – a slightly woody flavour (as the name would suggest) and it has to be 75 per cent wine. But as with anything, the better quality the ingredients, the better the result. Traditional vermouths are made with oxidised wine but by using a proper wine it creates a better product, which newer vermouth brands are striving to do.

Low-ABV drinks have been steadily on the rise following the infamous aperol spritz which has more than 540,000 posts on Instagram alone. It’s a drink inspired by Italian and French similar versions, and of course it’s due to its pretty orange colour that it has become an alfresco dining accessory on social media.

Henry Crofts, of vermouth brand Belsazar, says: “With the rise of ‘craft’, the increased demand for high-quality products and the ever-growing consumer knowledge, the drinks industry is seeing some wonderful developments, both with new brands and the styles of drinking them. One of the biggest trends we’ve seen is the boom of the low-alcohol and spritz-style drinks.

“The challenge many bartenders and home-drinkers face when creating low-ABV serves is how to bring full flavour and depth to a drink without using high ABV spirits or mixing them with fruit juices. This is where vermouth, and other modifiers, come in. It’s a fantastic carrier of flavour which can bring the body, but not the high ABV, to the cocktail.”

Three vermouths to try:

 

Belsazar white: 375ml, 17.5% ABV, Sefridges.com, £25 

Sacred spiced: 750ml, 18% ABV, Masterosfmalt, £31

Dolin Chambery: 750ml, Waitrose.com, £10.50

But vermouth-based drinks are nothing new. Its origins date back to ancient Greece, where Hippocrates is thought to have mixed wine with wormwood, where later flavours from almonds to honey were added.

The modern version we use it for now, as an aperitif, was first produced in the late 18th-century in Turin, by Antonio Benedetto Carpano and later, brothers Luigi and Guiseppe Cora took it further where it became the drink we know today.

Belsazar rosé and tonic recipe

60ml Belsazar Rosé
100ml Tonic Water

Serve in a wine glass filled with ice and garnish with a pink grapefruit slice