Locavores and Upstate New York cocktail lovers in general, this sweet vermouth is especially for you.

In post-World War II United States, vermouth was one of the most under-appreciated and therefore under-used beverage categories behind the bar; blame that on Prohibition and on the millions of GIs, sailors, Marines, and airmen who came home from war with a preference for hard liquor straight up or on the rocks. 

But that’s changing. Along with the cocktail renaissance that began in the 1990s, Americans are rediscovering vermouth, and there are new shops making craft vermouths all across the country, including right here in New York State.

A couple of weeks ago, the producers of Method Spirits Sweet Vermouth dropped in at Pinnacle Wine & Liquor to offer a sample of this excellent product. I wasn’t working that day, but Matt and Katie made sure I got a sample bottle to bring home and try. 

Method Sweet Vermouth was created to serve the growing community of New York bars, restaurants and consumers focused on local and regional fare, sourcing its base wines and brandy from grower-producers in the Finger Lakes that promote sustainable agriculture and infusing them with 29 roots, herbs, flowers, seeds, and spices. The company says a portion of sales goes to the Restaurant Workers Community Foundation and its Covid-19 Relief.

I’m glad Matt decided to carry it at Pinnacle; it’s delicious enough to enjoy by itself as an aperitif, neat or over ice—the way vermouth was meant to be enjoyed ever since Antonio Benedetto Carpano began selling Antica Formula from his little shop in Torino, Italy, in 1786.

Speaking of which, in order to evaluate Method Sweet Vermouth, I tasted it straight up and side-by-side with Carpano Antica Formula; there’s no better benchmark for a sweet vermouth. 

Method is a brilliantly clear, amber/red vermouth, compared to Carpano’s deeper mahogany, with moderately intense notes of pine, candied fruit, and baking spices. I sensed allspice, clove, nutmeg, cinnamon, and a touch of nuttiness. Carpano is on the darker aroma side—your dad’s sweet pipe tobacco, caramel, molasses, and leather alongside orange peel and baking spices.

On the palate, Method has a lighter touch than Carpano, which has a touch of cocoa and a bit more bitterness than Method. Both have a lingering finish, and this is where the Method really shines. It has a pleasantly spicy aftertaste, while the Carpano leaves a slightly harsh bitterness.

To put Method through its cocktail paces, I used it in a Boulevardier (roughly equal parts of Weller Antique 107 bourbon, Campari, and the vermouth) and a rye Manhattan (2 oz of McKenzie’s Pinnacle Select 6-year-aged single-barrel Rye, 1 oz of the vermouth, and Fee Brothers aromatic bitters). Those are two very aggressive environments for a sweet vermouth, and the Method showed beautifully in both drinks.

Needless to say, the sample bottle was gone by the time I was done with this review. No worries; I have a big-boy bottle now.