I did a search but could not find a basic time limit and/or “expiration” as to when an opened 375ml bottle of sweet (or dry) vermouth should last for in the fridge. A week? Month? Some say several months but I can certainly detect a difference in aroma. But Assuming it’s Martini & Rossi Rosso (red) vermouth, how long would you give it? I want a Manhattan but if its going to go quickly I might batch a bottle of Negroni and/or freezer Manhattans to preserve it longer?
I bought bottles with capacities of 100, 60 and 20 ml. When I buy a bottle of vermouth (or other wines), I decant it. For example, once I have taken a little from the 100 ml bottle, I can decant the rest into the 60 or 20 ml bottles, filling them to the brim. This prevents oxygen from coming into contact with the vermouth, allowing it to keep indefinitely.
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There’s no simple formula for how long it takes for vermouths and quinquinas to become compromised. Generally, the sweeter the wines, the longer they last. Noilly Prat Extra Dry is infamous for showing the effects of oxidation within an hour of opening. The fill level also matters: once you’re down to the dregs, it will oxidize faster.
Generally, I find that these wines aren’t as fragile as they are made out to be, and I will use opened vermouths for weeks on end. I do try to keep unopened spares in the closet for when I decide it’s time to throw out an old one.
Armin’s approach is sound, if fussy.
I have successfully used heavier-than-air inert gases (various products) in past to (probably) extend longevity—it’s easy enough to spray a little into the bottle before returning it to the fridge.
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Thanks for the information, believe it or now, I use Armin’s method with my whiskey, once it gets more than halfway down, I fill into smaller 250ml flat glass flasks (one to finish off and one to keep “as a record/archive for the future/collection if its a better whiskey). The inert gas is always a great option, I heard good things about it from America’s Test Kitchen that it will keep a fine wine great for many months, but it is expensive ($2-300 last time I priced it out). So, that solution for $9 bottle of vermouth will take a very long time to become cost effective. So my routine is to line up as many vermouth drinks as I can in the course of a month and try to finish off the bottle before it turns.
Oh! You are talking about something like the https://www.coravin.com but Martin is talking about something like https://privatepreserve.com, which sells for about $10 and I heartily endorse.
But hey, go nuts: https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/oxidation-rate
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I haven’t done a side by side to see how well it helps, but I use Repour to help my vermouth. Other than making the bottles taller (which means some don’t quite fit in my fridge nicely) I feel like it’s cost effective for what you get.
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Martin, I’ve found that every bottle is different. A friend once told me up to six months refrigerated, but that is way too long. The cocktail community always said like 3-4 weeks max. I find it’s around 30-45 days, and as you get towards the dregs, it definitely changes (including with my NP Extra Dry as recently as last night!). For NP, it does basically change immediately, and then it really goes all of the sudden.
So, some fortuitous timing – I had a bottle of Dolin Rouge in the fridge that we’d kept for a few months, using a Repour cap, and it was about done while I had a fresh bottle ready to open for my negroni. So let’s do a taste test!
The bottle on the right has been in the fridge, and we definitely notice a color difference.
However, when it came to taste…I noticed a slight difference, and admittedly, I don’t have the best palate in the world, but I tasted them side by side in a couple of sips and I didn’t noticed much “off” with the old bottle. I could taste a bit of a difference but I wouldn’t have said the old bottle was bad.
Anyways, to me, seems like keeping my bottles in the fridge with a Repour cap helps. Your mileage may vary!
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Good to know, but $2 for a single-use then it goes in the landfill? Or do you defy the manufacturer and reuse them? Is it activated carbon in there?
I have not reused them myself – I go through vermouth fairly slowly (despite my debilitating negroni addiction) so I basically just consider them a $2 addition to the cost. No idea what is inside them.
I imagine some kind of oxygen absorber packet —aka oxygen scavenger—is inside, which could theoretically be replaced.