Usually we do not order vermouth by the case, but this is a special case. Besides their standard line, Dolin makes (or continues to make, really, since this stuff harkens back to the Belle Epoque) an absolutely delightful strawberry-infused vermouth called Chambéryzette. To create the Chambéryzette, a special vermouth blend is made and infused with wild strawberries from the Rhone Alps, resulting in a bright, refreshing aperitif that really is like strawberries in a glass. It’s also not as cloyingly sweet as “strawberry-infused vermouth” sounds on paper, and has a really nice mountain herb undertone that amps up its savory side. We loved it, and spent a solid 15 minutes throwing out ideas for refreshing springtime serving ideas. Or wintertime, for that matter, as Chambéryzette was historically served as kind of an apres ski affair in France. But anyway, would this be delicious splashed on top of a gin tonic? Indubitably. Served straight up over a big ice cube? Obviously. Included in, as has become the somewhat standard use of it, a white Negroni? Don’t threaten us with a good time!
