The Dry Side Of Vermouth di Torino With Cucielo

Cocktails Distilled

As the summer in the Northern hemisphere progresses, most of us will at some stage, indulge in an aperitivo hour or even afternoon with friends and family.
The perfect time to unwind, the aperitivo moments are ideal for socialising as they are light, refreshing, and come with a low ABV.
And to make the moments more special, the Cucielo brand denoted with its brilliant blue migrating cuckoo has just introduced a new expression, a dry Vermouth di Torino that embodies all the flavour and craft essential for capturing the essence of golden hour, an Italian aperitivo culture.
To find out more about this new martini orientated liquid. We talked to founder and artisan spirit CEO, Andy Holmes about herbs, Italian vermouth and the perfect aperitivo cocktails.

Chapter

1. The Dry Side Of Vermouth di Torino With Cucielo (00:00:00)

2. Now Cucielo is a relatively recent brand, as far as Italian vermouths go. What inspired its creation? (00:01:46)

3. You were saying about talking more to the consumer. How are you going about that? (00:04:05)

4. Well, speaking of slightly wacky, tell us a little bit about your symbol, the mgrating cuckoo. (00:05:40)

5. With the rise of aperitivo hour and low ABVs and things of that nature, why do you think the numbers for vermouth are still falling? (00:07:44)

6. Let's talk a little bit about the liquid. The dry vermouth, di Torino, is the third vermouth that the brand has released. (00:09:42)

7. The brand is centred around Italy's Piedmont region. Tell us a little bit about what makes that area so special for vermouth? (00:11:20)

8. Di Torino is the only expression of vermouth that has got those legal protections and the geographical indication that you were talking about. How important are these protections for the liquid? (00:14:05)

9. Do those protections make the production more difficult? (00:15:34)

10. Can you run us through a little bit of the production process and how it's done? (00:16:18)

11. I was about to say, what are the botanicals that you are using for the dry? (00:19:33)

12. I believe that you created the dry with the martini specifically in mind. Why was that necessary? (00:22:07)

13. Other than just the martini, how would you suggest that people use the dry? (00:22:54)

14. What do you want people to take away from their experience with the dry? (00:24:11)

15. So you are looking at the brand generally as being a lot less traditional? (00:26:01)

16. I believe the vermouth is available in 28 international markets. So I'm assuming that's throughout the US, most of Europe, Asia. (00:26:41)

17. Which markets in the US are you tackling first? And how long do you see the rollout taking? (00:27:46)

18. Out of curiosity, which of those markets I assume outside of Italy, is actually the best for vermouth? Who's drinking it more than anyone else? (00:30:33)