There is no single best vermouth for a Dry Martini. The best one depends on the style of Martini you are after: traditional and crisp, alpine and aromatic, English and floral, small-batch Italian, German and modern, savoury and gentian-led, or a Vesper-shaped twist. So instead of crowning one winner, here are the seven vermouths we keep on the shelf for Martini-making, each the best for a particular style of drink.
One of the seven is ours, and we have a small note on our Limited Edition expression alongside it. The other six are bottles we genuinely reach for, because a guide that only pointed at our own would not be much use to you.
Why the vermouth matters more than you think
A Dry Martini is gin (or vodka) and dry vermouth, stirred with ice and strained into a chilled glass with a lemon twist or olive. Two ingredients, and a garnish. That simplicity is exactly why the vermouth carries more weight than people give it credit for. Change the vermouth and you change the Martini, even at the low ratios most bartenders pour.
The Dry Martini sits behind the Old Fashioned and the Negroni as one of the most-ordered classics at the world's best bars, per Drinks International's 2025 survey, an annual poll of award-winning bars. It has been a fixture in the top ten for as long as the list has existed.
What you want from a Martini vermouth is three things: enough dryness to keep the drink crisp rather than cloying, enough aromatic complexity to give the gin something to talk to, and enough structure to hold up at low ratios. A heavy, sweet vermouth will make the drink muddy. A vermouth with no character of its own disappears entirely. After that, it comes down to the style of Martini you want.
A note on ratios. The "wet" tradition (three or four parts gin to one part vermouth) is closer to what is served at the world's best bars now. The "in-and-out" Martini, where vermouth is rinsed around the glass and discarded, is a mid-twentieth-century American invention that almost everyone has quietly walked back from. We use 5:1 to 3:1 at home depending on the gin.
The benchmark Dry Martini: Noilly Prat Original Dry
If there is a default Martini vermouth, this is it. Made in Marseillan on the Mediterranean coast since 1813, Noilly Prat Original Dry is herbal, slightly briny, with an oxidative quality that comes from cask ageing the base wines outdoors before blending. It is the most reliable way to make a textbook Dry Martini, and the bottle most classic bars reach for. If you are working out where your own taste sits, start here.
The light, alpine Dry Martini: Dolin Dry
Lighter on its feet than the Noilly, with alpine botanicals, white flowers and citrus. Made in Chambéry in the French Alps, Dolin Dry has more aromatic lift and less of the briny weight. It makes a brighter, more perfumed Martini that pairs especially well with a citrus-forward gin. The choice when you want elegance over depth.
The English Dry Martini: Asterley Bros Schofield's
Schofield's is our English Dry Vermouth, a collaboration with the Schofield brothers, two of the most respected bartenders in the UK. We infuse a blend of botanicals into a base of English white wines, finishing aromatic and fragrant with a bouquet of white flowers on the nose and a clean citrus finish on the palate. In a Martini that means a brighter, more floral drink that still has the structure to hold up against gin: an English take rather than a French copy. You will find it at independent bottle shops, Master of Malt and on our own website.
We also do a Limited Edition called Cunard, an exclusive Dry Vermouth originally commissioned by Cunard for the launch of their ship Queen Anne. It uses aromatics and botanicals from the British maritime coast and finishes with a layer of salinity and minerality that is quite distinct from Schofield's. If you make a lot of Martinis and want a second English option to rotate, Cunard sits next to Schofield's on the shelf.
The small-batch Italian Dry Martini: Mancino Secco
The Italian dry vermouth most people have never heard of and most bartenders have. Mancino Secco is small-batch, made in Lombardy from Trebbiano and aromatised with a long list of botanicals including iris root and yarrow. The result is drier and more herbal than the Italian aperitifs people associate with the country, and it makes a Martini with real structure. The bottle for readers who want an Italian dry vermouth that is not from one of the big houses.
The modern German Dry Martini: Belsazar Dry
Belsazar Dry is made in the Black Forest using a Pinot Blanc base and dry-region botanicals, and it has quietly become a favourite in cocktail bars across Europe over the last few years. Slightly fuller than Dolin, slightly drier than the Asterley, with a subtle bitter edge that gives the Martini grip. The pick when you want a modern, accessible bottle that holds its own next to the classics.
The savoury, gentian-led Martini: Cocchi Americano
Strictly speaking, this is an aperitif wine rather than a dry vermouth, and we are including it with that caveat. Cocchi Americano is gentian-led, bittersweet and citrussy, and it is what the original Vesper Martini was built around when Ian Fleming wrote the recipe into Casino Royale in 1953 (the bottle he named, Kina Lillet, was reformulated in 1986). In a modern Vesper, or a savoury vermouth-forward Martini at higher ratios, Cocchi Americano is the bottle the cocktail community has rallied around. Worth the shelf space if you make Vespers.
The Vesper Martini option: Lillet Blanc
Also strictly an aperitif, not a vermouth, but no Martini list is complete without it. Lillet Blanc is what most modern Vesper recipes call for in practice (it is the most accessible substitute for the discontinued Kina Lillet), and it pairs gin with vodka in a way nothing else quite does. Sweeter and softer than Cocchi Americano, with honey and orange peel notes, it makes a richer and more rounded Martini. The pick if Vesper-style is your default.
At a glance
| The Martini you want | The vermouth | Character | Where it is from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional and crisp | Noilly Prat Original Dry | Herbal, slightly briny, oxidative | Marseillan, France |
| Light and aromatic | Dolin Dry | Alpine botanicals, white flowers, citrus | Chambéry, France |
| English and floral | Asterley Bros Schofield's | English white wines, aromatic flowers, clean citrus | Peckham, London |
| Italian and small-batch | Mancino Secco | Herbal, drier, iris and yarrow | Lombardy, Italy |
| Modern and accessible | Belsazar Dry | Pinot Blanc base, subtle bitterness | Black Forest, Germany |
| Savoury and gentian-led (Vesper) | Cocchi Americano | Bittersweet, citrussy, gentian-forward | Cocconato, Italy |
| Rich and Vesper-style | Lillet Blanc | Honey, orange peel, softer | Podensac, France |
If you would rather not stir
If you want a Martini without the kit, our best advice is to keep one of the bottles above in the fridge, get a decent gin or vodka in there with it, and pour. Stir if you have a spoon and ice; shake if you do not; serve cold either way. The drink is forgiving. The bottle of vermouth is what makes it taste like anything.
We are working on a few Martini-shaped expressions ourselves. If a ready-to-pour version is something you would order, drop us a line at info@asterleybros.com and let us know.
Want to understand the English style in more depth? Read our guide to English vermouth vs Italian vermouth, or our companion piece on the best vermouths for a Negroni.
Frequently asked questions
What kind of vermouth goes in a Martini?
Dry (white) vermouth. Sweet (rosso) vermouth is for the Negroni and the Manhattan; in a Martini it would make a much sweeter, weightier drink that does not taste like a Martini.
What is the best vermouth for a Dry Martini?
There is no single best one; it depends on the style. For a benchmark Dry Martini, Noilly Prat Original Dry is the traditional choice. For a lighter, more aromatic version, Dolin Dry. For an English-grown alternative, Asterley Bros Schofield's. For a Vesper, Cocchi Americano or Lillet Blanc.
How much vermouth goes in a Martini?
Anywhere from a small dash up to one part vermouth per three or four parts gin. The "wet" tradition (3:1 or 4:1) is closer to what is served at the world's best bars now. The "in-and-out" Martini, where vermouth is rinsed around the glass and discarded, is a mid-twentieth-century American style most bartenders have walked back from.
Can you use sweet vermouth in a Martini?
You can, but it makes a Sweet Martini, a different drink common in the 1900s and still served occasionally. The dry, transparent Martini most people mean today uses dry vermouth.
Does vermouth need to be kept in the fridge?
Yes. It is wine-based, so once opened it oxidises. Keep it in the fridge and use it within a month or two. A bottle of vermouth left in a warm cupboard for three months is the most common reason a home Martini tastes flat.
Dry Martini, gin or vodka?
Gin is the classic. Vodka came later, after the Second World War, and makes a cleaner, less botanical drink. Both are correct. The vermouth choice matters more in the vodka version because there is less competing flavour from the spirit.
What does "dirty" mean in a Dirty Martini?
Olive brine added to the drink, usually 5 to 10ml. It mutes the vermouth and adds salinity. Some people love it; some find it muddies the drink. If you are using Cunard, the maritime salinity already gives you part of that quality without the brine.
Asterley Bros is a London maker of English vermouth, amaro and aperitivo, founded by brothers Rob and Jim Berry in 2014. We make our vermouth in small batches in South London, and yes, we think you should try it in your next Martini.