Fortified Wines

Sweet Vermouth

Fortified Wine
16.5% ABV
100 drinks

Is this for me?

Choose this if…

✓You want sweetness, herbs and complexity — essential for Negroni and Manhattan.

Skip if…

✗You want a dry, light or neutral base.

At a Glance

48 kcalCalories

16.5%ABV

3gSugar

4.2gCarbs

Fortified WineType

100Recipes

Ingredient nutrition is approximate and varies by brand, recipe and preparation.

What is Sweet Vermouth?

Sweet vermouth is a red or amber fortified aromatised wine used in Manhattans, Negroni-style drinks, aperitifs and many stirred classics. It adds sweetness, herbal complexity and wine-like depth.

What does Sweet Vermouth taste like?

Sweet, herbal, lightly bitter and wine-like, with red fruit, spice, vanilla or caramel notes depending on the style. Sweet vermouth pairs strongly with whiskey, gin, rum, brandy, bitters and orange peel.

Sweet Vermouth profile

Mixability: HighIntensity: MediumBalancedBeginner-friendly: High

Best used for: martinis, negronis, manhattans, aromatic cocktails

Appears in 100+ recipes
Has 4 common substitutes

Ways to use sweet vermouth

Cocktails (100)

Sweet vermouth is a red or amber fortified aromatised wine used in Manhattans, Negroni-style drinks, aperitifs and many stirred classics. It adds sweetness, herbal complexity and wine-like depth.

Flavour profile

HerbalRed FruitSpiceSweet

Recipes using this

Observed quantities

Observed in single-serve recipes: middle half 29.57–59.15 ml; median 59.15 ml.

In the measured recipes in this dataset — from 95 observed uses.

Scoped nutrition

Calories (per 100 ml): 160
Sugar (per 100 ml): 10 g
Carbs (per 100 ml): 14 g

Ingredient nutrition is approximate and varies by brand, recipe and preparation.

Diet compatibility

Gluten-FreeCompatible
KetoLimited
Low-CarbLimited
Low-SugarLimited
VeganCompatible
VegetarianCompatible

Based on the listed ingredient only — a public recipe facet, not medical, allergy or coeliac advice. Specific brands and preparation can change compatibility.

Commonly observed with

GinDry VermouthAngostura BittersBittersGreen ChartreuseOrange BittersBrandyStraight Rye Whiskey

Observed co-use in the reviewed recipe corpus — not a universal pairing recommendation.

Trust & methodology

Canonical ingredient/component authority assembled from reviewed identity, recipe, flavour, nutrition, diet and substitution evidence. Observed quantities and co-use patterns are descriptive, not prescriptions or universal recommendations.

Evidence last updated: 2026-07-16T03:30:39.066659+00:00

About this drink

Sweet vermouth became essential to Manhattan, Negroni and Americano-style drinks because it bridges wine body, sweetness and herbal bitterness. Its history sits between wine culture and cocktail culture rather than one neat spirit category.

Substitutes

How to swap Sweet Vermouth

When replacing Sweet Vermouth, match dryness, sweetness and herbal or wine-like depth. A different fortified wine can make a stirred drink feel sharper, richer or more bitter.

When to choose it

When to choose Sweet Vermouth

Choose Sweet Vermouth when a cocktail needs wine-like body, dryness, sweetness or herbal depth. It is often better for stirred and aperitif-style drinks than for tall refreshers.

Skip if

Do not choose Sweet Vermouth when...

Do not choose Sweet Vermouth when you want a neutral background ingredient. Fortified wines add body, aroma and wine-like structure that can change the whole drink.

Drink counts and recipe data are based on published WhatDrink recipes. Figures may vary as new recipes are added.

Sweet Vermouth — common questions

How many cocktails are made with Sweet Vermouth?: There are 100 cocktail recipes featuring Sweet Vermouth in the WhatDrink database.
What are the most popular cocktails made with Sweet Vermouth?: Top-ranked cocktails made with Sweet Vermouth include Brandy Vermouth Cocktail, Plain Vermouth Cocktail, Abbey Martini. Rankings are based on recipe quality and data completeness.
What is the ABV of Sweet Vermouth?: Sweet Vermouth has an ABV of approximately 16.5%. The exact strength varies by brand and expression.
What do the sensory profile dimensions mean?: Sensory profile dimensions describe key flavour characteristics: Intensity (light to bold), Sweetness (dry to sweet), Mixability (how versatile it is in cocktails) and Beginner-Friendly (acquired taste to easy intro). Each scale helps you compare Sweet Vermouth with similar ingredients at a glance.
How do I use the Sweet Vermouth sensory profile to find drinks I like?: If you enjoy the intensity and flavour profile of Sweet Vermouth, look for other ingredients or cocktails with a similar profile. Compare Intensity, Sweetness and Mixability to find substitutes or discover new cocktails in the same flavour family.