Vermouth can be a hard sell for our less-cocktailian friends; many folks have only had foul-tasting, oxidized stuff from dusty bottles well past their expiration. If you’re looking to win people over to the magic of vermouth, you could do worse than the Door 74, a beautiful ruby gem from Ted Gallagher at Boston’s Deep Ellum.
Here, dry vermouth provides a crisp, intriguing backbone to flavors of apple and citrus. The botanicals play well with orange flower water and the anise notes of the bitter, while the low proof of the vermouth keeps the drink light and sippable.