Asterley Bros ESTATE vs Punt e Mes: an honest comparison of two very different sweet vermouths
If you are stocking a bar, or building a home cocktail station, and you have looked at sweet vermouth, two names will have come up quickly. Punt e Mes is the Milanese benchmark, a bittersweet Italian classic created in 1870 that appears on back bars from London to Los Angeles. Asterley Bros ESTATE is the South London answer, built on real English Pinot Noir from a Kent vineyard rather than the usual white wine base. Both are serious drinks. But they are not the same drink, and choosing between them depends on what you are trying to do.
This comparison runs through the specs, the production philosophy, the price, and the moments each one wins.
What are they?
Asterley Bros ESTATE is an English Sweet Vermouth made in the Italian rosso style. The defining structural decision is the base: rather than the neutral white wine plus caramel colouring that defines most commercial sweet vermouth, ESTATE is built on real English Pinot Noir from Gusbourne (Appledore, Kent). Thirty-four botanicals are macerated in grain spirit, then washed through the red wine, pressed, sweetened with demerara sugar, and vegan-fined with bentonite before bottling. The result is a vermouth with real tannin, genuine body, and a sweetness that sits lower in the sugar register than category norms. It launched in the late 2010s as the house Negroni and Manhattan base for Asterley Bros.
Punt e Mes is an Italian bittersweet vermouth produced by Carpano in Milan, part of the Fratelli Branca Distillery group (the same company behind Fernet Branca). It was created in 1870 following a Piedmontese stockbroker's request for a vermouth with one point of sweetness and half a point of bitterness. The name means precisely that in Piedmontese dialect. Punt e Mes is made with over 40 herbs and spices macerated in a base of dry white wine, coloured dark red-brown, and contains quinine as a key bittering botanical. The quinine gives it a bitterness that reads as distinctly more amaro-like than standard rosso vermouth.
How they are made: side by side
| Asterley Bros ESTATE | Punt e Mes | |
|---|---|---|
| Style | English Sweet Vermouth (rosso style) | Italian Bittersweet Vermouth |
| Base | English Pinot Noir from Gusbourne, Kent | Dry white wine |
| Botanicals | 34 botanicals (macerated) | 40+ herbs and spices |
| Key botanicals | Wild cherry bark, bitter orange, English hops, dandelion root, devil's claw, wormwood, fennel, gentian | Orange peel, quinine, cloves, cinnamon, herbs (exact blend secret) |
| Sweetener | Demerara sugar syrup | Sugar (unspecified) |
| Colouring | From the Pinot Noir itself | Dark brown-red (herbal infusion + possible caramel) |
| ABV | 16% | 16% |
| Bottle size | 500ml | 75cl (some UK retailers list 70cl; check with your supplier) |
| Clarification | Bentonite (vegan) | Not specified publicly |
| Vegan | Yes (portfolio-wide) | Not publicly confirmed |
| Origin | South London, UK | Milan, Italy |
The production philosophies are instructive. ESTATE makes a virtue of disclosure: the full botanical list is published on the product page, the Gusbourne relationship is named and documented, and the base wine is specified as English Pinot Noir from a single vineyard. Punt e Mes operates in the classical Italian amaro tradition: the production process is described in evocative terms ("over 40 herbs and spices", "secret blend") without full ingredient disclosure. Neither approach is wrong; they reflect different points in the category's history and different brand philosophies around transparency.
Price and format
ESTATE retails at £26.95 for 500ml via asterleybros.com, with free UK delivery over £60. It is also available from specialist retailers including The Whisky Exchange, Hedonism Wines, and Fortnum and Mason.
Punt e Mes retails from approximately £17-20 for 75cl from UK independent wine and spirits retailers (Fareham Wine Cellar, Amazon UK, Master of Malt), making it meaningfully cheaper per bottle and available in a larger format. It is widely stocked across the UK on-trade and retail, with significantly greater distribution than a small South London producer's single SKU.
The honest concession here: for a bar or operator working to a budget, Punt e Mes wins on price and availability. It is easier to source, less expensive per serving, and present in virtually every specialist drinks retailer in the UK. ESTATE is a more considered purchase, and the supply chain is naturally more constrained.
When to reach for Punt e Mes
Punt e Mes is the right choice in a few specific situations.
When budget is a constraint. At roughly £17-20 per 75cl versus £26.95 per 500ml, Punt e Mes offers a lower cost-per-glass for high-volume serve programmes. If you are working through vermouth quickly, the price gap compounds.
When you need a benchmark. Punt e Mes is one of the most widely referenced vermouths in the classic cocktail canon. If you are building a Negroni or Americano and you want the version that most closely matches what a guest would find in a Milan bar, Punt e Mes is the reference point.
When you want that bittersweet Italian character. Punt e Mes has a distinctive quinine-driven bitterness that sits closer to amaro than standard rosso. If your serve list leans Italian, or you want that specific bitter-sweet edge, Punt e Mes delivers it without additional adaptation.
The established heritage argument. Carpano invented commercial vermouth in 1786 and Punt e Mes has been in continuous production since 1870. That kind of category history carries weight with some customers and operators, particularly in contexts where Italian heritage and tradition are part of the bar's positioning.
When to reach for Asterley Bros ESTATE
ESTATE earns its place on different grounds.
When you are telling the English terroir story. ESTATE is built on a real English Pinot Noir from a named Kent vineyard. No caramel, no neutral white wine base, no category-default shortcut. For bars and operators who want to lead with provenance, ingredient disclosure, and a genuine point of difference, ESTATE is in a different category from most commercial vermouths.
When you want lower sugar. ESTATE is deliberately calibrated to sit drier than the sweet vermouth norm. The Gusbourne Pinot Noir contributes genuine body and tannin, which means the sweetness does not need to do as much work. If your customers or your own palate finds most sweet vermouths cloying, ESTATE is worth trying side by side.
When you are stocking a British independent producer. Every bottle of ESTATE sold supports a small South London vermouth and amaro producer who publishes their full ingredient list, uses vegan fining throughout, and weights their sourcing towards UK suppliers for carbon impact. The brand story is real, documented, and ownable in a way that a 150-year-old Milanese brand story cannot be for a UK operator.
For the Negroni and Manhattan specifically. ESTATE was designed as a Negroni base. The house Negroni is the South London Negroni: 25ml Hayman's, 25ml ESTATE, 25ml DISPENSE, 5ml Asterley Original, stirred 60 seconds over ice, orange zest. In a Manhattan, the Pinot Noir tannins hold up well against the rye or bourbon, and the drier finish keeps the cocktail from feeling heavy.
A Negroni comparison
The Negroni is the natural test for both vermouths. Here is how they differ in the same format.
With Punt e Mes: The Negroni leans bittersweet and herbal. The quinine bitterness from Punt e Mes carries through the gin and Campari, giving the drink a more bitter tail and a denser, darker character. The orange and herbal quality of Punt e Mes reads as classic and old-world in its aromatics, evoking the herbal spirit tradition that runs through Italian amaro culture.
With ESTATE: The Negroni is brighter and more aromatic. The Pinot Noir base contributes a fruitiness and tannic structure that lifts the cocktail, with the orange and wormwood notes from the 34 botanicals reading as more floral and complex. The finish is drier and less bitter. It is a different drink, arguably more approachable for someone who finds standard Negronis heavy.
Neither is the correct answer. They are genuinely different serves.
FAQ
Is Punt e Mes better than Asterley Bros ESTATE?
They are different styles of sweet vermouth doing different things. Punt e Mes is cheaper, more widely available, and has a stronger bitter edge from quinine. ESTATE has a lower sugar register, a real English red wine base, and full ingredient transparency. The answer depends on your serve, your budget, and your customer's palate.
What is the main difference between ESTATE and Punt e Mes?
The base wine. ESTATE is built on Gusbourne English Pinot Noir; Punt e Mes uses a dry white wine base. This structural difference affects body, tannin, sweetness, and the overall flavour weight. ESTATE also has 34 botanicals versus Punt e Mes's 40+, but ESTATE publishes its full list while Punt e Mes does not.
Which is better for a Negroni?
Both work, and both are commonly used. Punt e Mes gives a darker, more bitter Negroni with quinine depth. ESTATE gives a brighter, more aromatic Negroni with genuine red wine tannin. Try both and decide which direction you want the drink to go.
Where can I buy each?
ESTATE is available from asterleybros.com (direct) and from specialist retailers including The Whisky Exchange, Hedonism Wines, Fortnum and Mason, and Jeroboams. Punt e Mes is available from most UK wine and spirits retailers, including Fareham Wine Cellar, Master of Malt, Amazon UK, and widely in the on-trade.
How much do they cost?
Asterley Bros ESTATE: £26.95 per 500ml. Punt e Mes: approximately £17-20 per 75cl from UK retailers. Punt e Mes is cheaper per bottle and available in a larger format.
Is Asterley Bros ESTATE vegan?
Yes. ESTATE is vegan-friendly, clarified with bentonite (mineral clay) throughout the range. The vegan status of Punt e Mes is not publicly confirmed by Carpano.
Ready to build your Negroni around ESTATE? Shop Asterley Bros ESTATE and explore the full range at asterleybros.com.