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The connection between Turin, Vermouth, and its inventor Antonio Benedetto Carpano is now known worldwide. The most common narrative is that the distiller Carpano invented Vermouth in his workshop, near Piazza Castello. Near the old distillery, although not very visible, there is a commemorative plaque today.

However, it must be said that perhaps the story is a bit different from the narrative.

Origin of Vermouth

• 1443. One of the oldest documents ever found testifies to a tax for the production of brandy derived from Barbera and Moscato. The tradition and knowledge of Piedmontese distillation is therefore very ancient. 
• 1541. The collection of recipes titled De Re Coquinaria includes the preparation of vinum absinthiatum which, in addition to wormwood, contains other spices. It is probably intended for digestive purposes. The collection is based on recipes attributed to the Roman Marcus Gavius Apicius, who probably lived between the 1st century BC and the 1st century AD. In practice, Vermouth was already drunk by the ancient Romans.

•  1549. The book De Notevoli et utilissimi ammaestramenti sull’agricoltura is published, in which Costantino Cesare proposes the preparation of a wine with wormwood to treat stomach and intestinal problems. 
• 1570. In the Treatise on the cultivation of vines and the fruit that can be obtained from them, the author Giovan Vittorio Soderini reports “… the Germans and in Hungary still make wine with wormwood, rosemary, and sage.” In fact, the name wermutwein derives from the German language. 
• 1583. Carlo Emanuele di Savoia issues an edict to encourage the establishment of factories and liquor stores in Turin, offering a tax discount. Shortly thereafter, Contrada Dora Grossa is born, which will be the first headquarters of many distilleries. 
• 1585. The Roman doctor Castore Durante, in his book Herbario Nuovo, mentions the production of a wine with wormwood to stimulate appetite. 

The arrival of Carpano

• 1712. Massialot writes Nouvelle instruction por les confitures et liquors, which includes a chapter dedicated to the great skill of the Turin distillers and the goodness of their Rosoli. 
• 1736. The Farmacopea Taurinense is published, containing some recipes for wine with wormwood intended for medical purposes. 1739.
• The University of Brandy Makers and Confectioners is founded in Turin. In the archives, you can still find the exam papers to become a master distiller. 
• 1757. The Englishman Ambrose Cooper prints The Complete Distiller, mentioning the Rosoli of Turin. 
• 1773. In the work Oenologia Toscana, Giovanni Cosimo Villifranchi mentions the production of a vermouth, likening it to the medicinal wines of Pliny and Dioscorides. In the same period, the butler of the castle of Agliè mentions Vermouth wines in his inventory as a tonic for convalescents and for wet nurses who need to produce milk.

• 1786. The birth of Vermouth. According to tradition, it was in this year that Antonio Benedetto Carpano invented Vermouth. The authorship of Carpano is confirmed by the publications of Strucchi, Il Vermouth di Torino, and Maragliano, Manuale del liquorista di Maragliano. 

Carpano’s Vermouth

Assuming, as tradition has it, that Carpano really invented Vermouth; what happened after 1786?

• 1786. Carpano creates his aromatized wine. A cultured person and lover of Goethe, he names this new drink Vermouth, derived from the German Wermut, which means wormwood (Artemisia major). The first version, prepared in his workshop in Piazza Castello, in front of Palazzo Reale, is a white Vermouth made with Moscato wine. Convinced of his new preparation, Carpano immediately sends a basket to King Vittorio Amedeo III. The sovereign appreciates it so much that he adopts it in the daily consumption of the royal family. Consequently, the entire court becomes regular consumers. Shortly thereafter, the red wine version of Carpano’s Vermouth also arrives. 
• 1820. The demand for Carpano’s Vermouth continues to grow, so much so that his nephew (Giuseppe Bernardino Carpano) decides to evolve the workshop into the Liquor and Vermouth Factory Giuseppe Carpano, formerly Marendazzo and Com.ia, under the arcades of Piazza Castello at no. 21. Subsequently, from 1840 to 1888, the fame of Carpano expands, and Carpano’s glass becomes the aperitif par excellence and the favorite drink of Turin. Among the many enthusiasts of Carpano’s Vermouth, we remember Count of Cavour, Massimo d’Azeglio, and Giuseppe Verdi.

Vermouth in modern times

• 1898. With the third generation of the Carpano family, the brothers Luigi and Ottavio, decide to abandon the artisanal dimension of the workshop and found an industrial plant for the production of Vermouth. 
• 1939. In 1916, due to the crisis of the First World War, the historic workshop in Piazza Castello is closed. The following year, the management of the company passes to Ottavio’s widow, Matilde Govone. In 1939, with the Carpano dynasty extinct, the property is taken over by Silvio Turati, belonging to an important entrepreneurial family from Turin. He decided to maintain the traditional production process, ignoring all the technological progress and innovations of that period. 
• 1950. In the immediate post-war period, Silvio Turati engages in the promotion of Carpano’s Vermouth with advertising campaigns involving the cycling team of Fausto Coppi and Totò. 
• 1978. In this year, the company is acquired by the brand Caffè Sport Borghetti, which still maintains the Carpano label. 2001. Fratelli Branca Distillerie acquires the Carpano brand, transferring its production to their Milan headquarters. 
• 2017. The Italian law regulates the production of Vermouth: the minimum alcohol content must be 16% and must not exceed 22%. It must contain Artemisia (Wormwood) and must be composed of at least 75% white wine. 

Vermouth today

Over time, various types of Vermouth have been proposed (and accepted by the markets). We can identify them in the following list:

• Extra dry: less than 30 g of sugar per liter
• Dry: less than 50 g of sugar per liter, minimum 16% alcohol 
• Semi-dry: from 50 to 90 g of sugar per liter 
• Semi-sweet: from 90 to 130 g of sugar per liter 
• Sweet: 130 g or more of sugar per liter

Vermouth is often drunk as an aperitif or digestive. In this case, the best way is to serve it neat, with two ice cubes and a slice of orange.

However, it is used as a key ingredient in various cocktails. The most famous are:

• Negroni: Red Vermouth, bitter, and gin 
• Americano: White Vermouth, bitter, and soda 
• Negroni Sbagliato: Red Vermouth, bitter, and sparkling wine 
• Manhattan: Sweet Vermouth, Bourbon, and Angostura 
• Martini Dry: Dry Vermouth and Gin