Gotha Drai Siderale Dry Vermouth

Drai is made using dry Zibibbo from Pantelleria (Zibibbo is a form of Muscat) as a base, so there is already a lot of flavor there before they even start adding botanical flavors. It also contains purified seawater from the Adriatic which is the body of water that separates Albania and Italy. They find that the salt and other minerals enhance our perception of the other flavors. Other botanicals include wormwood (the ingredient that gives vermouth its name), fresh caper berries (from Pantelleria), cucumber, lemon peel, Timut pepper, sage, bay leaf, and grapefruit peel. 

The method: pure water, purified sea water, pure alcohol (derived from wheat), wine, and sugar are mixed together; to this base are added individual distillations of caper berries, cucumber, lemon peel, and Timut pepper. (All of these distillations are made by macerating the ingredient in a solution of alcohol for 24 hours, then distilling the result to 60% alcohol by volume.) Then infusions of wormwood, sage leaf, bay leaf and grapefruit peel are added, each infusion being carried out using a 50% alcohol solution for about 10 days. The resulting complete mixture is left to rest for 45 days, filtered, and bottled. This vermouth contains no caramel or other coloring.