Vermouth Week: 9 must-see places to enjoy the best drinks

More than 100 brands of vermouth were created in the world in the last 10 years, which clearly shows that beyond Argentina, one of the largest markets for this type of drink, the trend for these drinks has taken over a wide variety of countries.

In the last year, in the country alone, the consumption of this drink of European origin made from wine macerated with herbs and botanicals grew by 23%, thanks not only to the diffusion by the different bartenders, but also by the classic bars and restaurants that added it to their menu.

Thus, there are more and more proposals throughout the country to be able to enjoy a drink that includes the historic drink, even just a stroke of soda is enough to make it part of a meeting between friends or family. Here, a tour of different vermouth shops, bars and restaurants, along with proposals for drinks to replicate at home.

The 40 old bar

In what was once the Rodríguez Peña, also known as “El Bar de Carlitos”, three stories came together to reach this present. “It was there since 1982. It was the typical neighborhood bar, which continues to be, with a fixed clientele”, began his story to Infobae Joaquín Teixedo. After Carlitos' death, the place remained in charge of his grandson for a while, “but he got tired and closed it, my old man is a client and he told me that the place was for rent, and that's when those three stories came together. The one at the bar, that of my group of friends and mine.”

Joaquín and his high school friends always got together to play tute, among other things (hence “Las 40″) “and we always had the idea of putting together something, a barbecue, a meeting place or where to be”. And its story, that of the young man who has been dedicated to artisan charcuterie for seven years. An empty bar, the idea of the meeting place for friends, and the space to be able to offer the proposal of artisanal cold cuts. “We gave the bar a facelift, opened and walked out.”

The picadas and sandwiches are undoubtedly the star of the place, and the vermouth, of course; thanks to the tradition that remained of the old parishioners. “One of our partners internalized himself in artisanal vermouths and after a few tests he found an infusion based on torrontés that he liked a lot, so a little over a year ago we got our vermouth label, Rodo, which many people adopted.” Another drink that makes the difference is the one that includes vermouth rosso, Aperol and tonic, while still naming the classic Ferroviario.

- Where? First Board 2637, Mar del Plata

“Our idea from the beginning was to claim a product that has always been on the Argentinean table,” said Juan Manuel Bidegain, one of the partners of this place located in the so-called Newbery Circuit, in Chacarita, which refers to the grandmother's house, to that family space where, of course, soda also appears in its packaging more classic and traditional.

Thus, among other signature drinks, it is possible to find widely consumed variants such as “Ah but in siphon”, which includes Campari, Aperol, orange cordial and soda; or Negroni Piletero, with Gin, Campari, Cinzano, orange cordial and soda.

With regard to meals to accompany them, the letter was in partnership with the renowned Juan Barcos, with whom he later partnered in the recently inaugurated project called Madre Rojas. Thus, in Sifón, you cannot miss the emblematic grilled provoleta, accompanied by cherrys and oil reduction, also the ossobuco empanadas or go further, even some grilled Roman gnocchi, with dried tomatoes and pesto.

- Where? Jorge Newbery Avenue 3881, CABA

The Pizza OTL

A sunset, a table on the sidewalk and an aperitif in hand, accompanied by snacks that represent the best of Italian cuisine. That is the image that can be seen daily in this classic and disruptive place in San Telmo where the so-called “Vermouth Time” took hold, which actually extends a little longer, of course, from Tuesday to Sunday from 7 pm to 9 pm

At that time it is possible to enjoy a 2x1 cocktail bar, an ideal offer to accompany any of the preparations on your Sandwiches and Snacks menu.

Thus, meetings after the working day are enjoyed with a bruschetta of cabrauntar, mushrooms and arugula ($850) or with a crispy cauliflower fainá with parmesan and pistachio mortadella ($830). They also offer traditional arancinis (carnaroli rice croquettes filled with cheese for $930) or a meatball sandwich with tomato and mozzarella fior di latte ($1120).

- Where? 424 Caseros Avenue, San Telmo, CABA

The winery of Pichincha

Born in December 2018 on the ground floor of the Warecloud building, where a radio and a coworking space converge, this place became not only a must stop for workers there, but for passers-by and everyone who wants to enjoy a good drink. “Pichincha is a very important gastronomic pole here, so we felt that a couple of factors combined. Our intention was to generate something interesting at the entrance of the building, which becomes a mandatory stop at the exit time,” explained Dino Mac.

“It was an area with many craft breweries at the time of the boom, it was crowded, and we found it interesting a space where we could differentiate ourselves, because although we have beer, we came across the vermouth that we knew from our old people and we found it very interesting to hold on to it to make a differential”, he explained.

With two taps of vermouth thrown with its own recipe, in addition to the signature drinks, the choice of the food menu is simply an accompaniment to the drinks. Picadas, “Carlitos” of vacuum and burgers, in homemade and hearty versions, are part of the proposal.

“Ours was a bet that went well, this rebirth of this type of drink we are experiencing with great expectation. There are still people who don't quite understand what a vermouth is, how it is prepared. He tastes it, likes it and asks for it, without internalizing himself in what it really is. And this is just the beginning, because we are already preparing to have a second vermouth recipe of our own soon”, he closed.

- Where? Alvear 144, Rosario, Santa Fe

Growlers

The renowned bar with an urban and artistic spirit, which also gained space for its wide variety of beer styles, has been adding its own recipes for cocktails such as gin and tonics, vermouth, summer red and cider for a year, which are born from syrups and different types of distillates, among others. Very careful from the origin of the production to the preparation of the drink in a bar with “tinctures” and dried fruits, among other products.

“Since the beginning of Growlers, vermouth has always been on the agenda, sometimes we have to hope to be able to generate the differential proposal in which the consumer can appreciate the added value,” explained Martín Casanova, one of the partners. “Investigating the world of cocktails and the boom of craft development in the pullada cocktail bar we arrive vermu.cito”, offered in collaboration with the Cosas Imposible brand and made with pineapple and mint soda, which makes it highly drinkable at any time of the year. It is also offered in the format of a 254 ml can to take home or take on the premises.

Regarding the reception of the public, Casanova said that “it is spectacular. It is important to consider, as happens in the world of beer, what product to offer to a person who is just starting out in the world of vermouth and to a regular consumer. For the first, the spicy with pineapple soda is offered. For the regular drinker, 'Classic Orange' is an intense version of a vermouth soaked with orange syrup, imposing on the palate and clearly rounded based on the classic bitterness and spice of the drink.”

- Where? Santa Fe Avenue 1430, Recoleta, CABA

Black palate

15 years old, this bar and restaurant “is crossed by a cross-cutting search for excellence, where we actually have an honest gastronomy, we are a facilitating vehicle to transform a protein or vegetable garnish into something appetizing, where you can see that there is an aesthetic search in classic cuisine and traditional and with a share of modernity,” said Martín Mazzuca.

In addition to the classic cheese and cold cuts boards, you can also enjoy essential snacks. The variety is wide, from river croquettes or anchovies, to sandwiches (such as cured pink salmon) to burgers, such as the dry aged buffalo burger.

Among the proposals that are registered trademarks of the place is undoubtedly the vermouth from the tap, which includes grapefruit, orange, clove, star anise and cinnamon skins as part of the mixture of flavors. When serving one of the signature cocktails, a part of Campari and a splash of soda are added.

“Vermouth dresses the table of any home, it is something that has always happened naturally, but clearly there is a resurgence that we have been militating for a long time with this vermouth from the tap and with some events,” Mazzuca explained.

- Where? Balcarce and Sarmiento, Santa Fe

V side

Known as the most “instagrammable” bar in the city, this place includes an original proposal of classic street food preparations without ingredients of animal origin. Its menu highlights a variety of classic and signature cocktails and, recently, they added a new cocktail menu conceived by bartender Lean Milan.

A characteristic ingredient in their cocktails is vermouth rosso that complements perfectly with the rest of the ingredients such as Milan Torino Vegano which includes 2 ounces of Aperol and 2 ounces of vermouth, served in a short glass with ice and orange peel. Another option is the Americano Vegan, which carries 2 ounces of Aperol, 2 ounces of vermouth rosso and is served in a long glass or ciborium and then complemented with soda and lemon peel. A must have is the classic Negroni made with 1 ounce of Aperol, 1 ounce of vermouth rosso, 1 ounce of gin and 1 zest of orange peel and served in a short glass with an orange peel garnish.

These and other alternatives can be enjoyed in its large premises are various outdoor areas while trying an original plant-based street food alternative, featuring vegan baos, oyster nuggets, Not-Burgers and seitan fried chicken, as well as options for snacks and sweet temptations.

- Where? Honduras 4969, Palermo, CABA

The World Cup

Although he is only 4 years old, he fulfills an old yearning since “it was built brick by brick on a family plot trying to replicate both in architecture, materials used and ornamentation those old still lifes that our grandparents used as a space for recreation and recreation,” explained Rafael Pontieri.

With a menu that does not neglect tradition and clinging to roots, Milanese, pizzas and empanadas parade around its tables, in addition to those fresh and daily pasta “just like nonna did, without preservatives. And always accompanied by vermouth, of course.

“It is that it is not only always present, but also on the rise, in all its varieties, the rosso, the white, and the Ferroviario, of course,” says Pontieri. But as he explained, one of the trademarks of La Mundial is “the baby tortilla with Cinzano, as a classic of tapas and mid-evenings”, is that, as in other cases, he notes the rebirth of this drink, “the third, fourth generations embrace that tradition of the dawn of the 20th century, we have passed two years of pandemic and the increase in customers who consume it has been exponential.”

“From Cordoba to the world, Cinzano con peperina”, reads one of the posters of La Mundial, still life of friends, gastronomic and cultural center, such as its full name, because it is much more than a space for recreation, it is the meeting place for the family.

- Where? Route E55, KM 7 1/2, La Calera, Cordoba

Don Marcos

“The rebirth of vermouth has a special meaning for us, because it is a drink that we like and that we believe demonstrates our national identity, it takes us to our roots, to our grandparents, in this place where there are four generations who passed through here,” Hernán Francos began his explanation.

Don Marcos has almost 50 years of history: born in the 1970s, after the death of one of its founders 10 years ago, this place began to lose some of its magic and the arrival of the pandemic was decisive for its closure. However, Hernán and his partners avoided it by taking over the establishment, even keeping the former employees in their staff, “we made them part of the team, the core that takes care of the letter that has been maintained since before we arrived”.

“What we did when we opened in this second instance was to assemble a cocktail team and our goal from the beginning was to install the vermouth. Here in Santa Fe it was not a drink that was so imposed and we wanted to achieve that, so we started to revert the drinks, the bar team did a very good job”, explained Francos, who details that each of the preparations has the name of iconic figures of the local show, so it is possible to find references to Leo Mattioli, Tato Bores and even Susana Giménez and Moria Casán.

Thus, among the vermouths it is possible to enjoy the dishes installed for a long time, since “the person who makes the milanese has been working for 25 years, who makes pasta is 16 years ago, sandwiches are made by a person since he was 17 years old, so our intention was to maintain their origins and strengthen them and give it a spin to the presentation. We incorporated a tapas and some desserts, as well as vegetarian and vegan options,” said Francos about the classic that was reborn in the middle of the pandemic and seeks to maintain the mystique.

- Where? Las Heras 3604, Santa Fe

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