Chamberyzette

We’re quickly running out of summer, so I want to share one of my favorite drinks of the last few weeks before it’s too late. Hat-tip to Derek Brown, who turned me on to this simple pleasure in a recent vermouth class I took at the Passenger.

Ordinarily, Chamberyzette is a variant of vermouth flavored with Alpine strawberry juice. Unfortunately, it’s also unavailable in the States, so we have to make do with an approximation. I’ve never had the original, to be fair, so I can’t honestly say how it compares, but the approximation is delicious. It’s as refreshing as it is easy to make, and you’ll never believe that you’re basically just drinking a glass of vermouth.

THE RECIPE: Muddle one strawberry in a rocks glass. A friend and I have recently decided that it’s actually easier to use a handheld citrus squeezer (like this one), as you’ll get the juice without having to sift out chunks. Up to you, though. Pour in a few ounces of Dolin Blanc, add ice, and enjoy.

And that’s it. It’s very simple – or, as we used to say in math class, elegant. Dolin Blanc has a lot of the characteristics of a dessert wine, so the strawberry juice can make this a bit cloying. You can always alter the proportions to taste or use a drier vermouth (although Dolin Dry left me kind of unimpressed), but you probably won’t need to mess around with it much.

Cheers!

(Quick pro-tip, also via Mr. Brown: Vermouth is fortified wine; it goes bad. That bottle of Martini & Rossi in your liquor cabinet probably went bad like two years ago. Do yourself a favor and replace it. Once you open a new bottle, put it in the fridge and try to finish it in a month. Vermouth is delicious, and it will return the love and care you give it.)