Wormwood is idleness!
The ritual spilled over from Madrid and Barcelona to the island a few years ago, and since then there have been more and more bars that call themselves "Vermutería" or at least have a selection of the flavored and high-proof herbal wines on the menu, often on tap. The best place to try this bitter-sweet drink is in Palma. The selection is large, especially in the old town, but there are also bars in the former fishing districts of Santa Catalina and Es Molinar where you can while away a Sunday. Because vermouth is drinkable, relaxing and goes to your head quickly. Perhaps this is due to the up to 22% alcohol by volume, perhaps the caramelized sugar or the antispasmodic, digestive effect of the wormwood herb.
A vermouth in your hand is a great way to chat, sip and nibble. But be careful! Ideally, you should drink one or two, accompanied by a sour or salty snack. Afterwards, you should have lunch, and you are welcome to dine and chat well into the afternoon. The "sobremesa", the conversation after the meal, is cultivated with dedication in Spain. And before you know it, Sunday is already over.
He opened "Vermutería La Gloria" in Es Molinar because the health business no longer worked during the economic crisis, as he explains. The Milan native earned his degree as a barman, and it shows: A professional is at work here.
Two years ago, Davide Furrer, an Italian orthopaedic technician with a penchant for gastronomy, added 46 vermouth brands from France, Spain and Italy to his menu, along with appetizers and snacks such as olive and anchovy skewers, canned mussels and potato chips with spicy sauce. Anyone who orders from him is first interviewed at length. Sweet, balanced or dry? Red, rosé or white? Fruity or spicy? On ice, with soda from the siphon bottle or without anything at all? Depending on the guest's answer, Furrer then serves one or other vermouth in a classic 125 milliliter glass. The French, for example, produce a rather bitter vermouth, with lots of cinchona bark and fewer herbs.
The Catalans make a spicier vermouth
The white "Noilly Prat Dry", for example: the bodega is in the south of France, the wooden barrels in which the vermouth is macerated are outdoors near the sea and are wet-sprayed every day. The wood also absorbs the salty air and gives the wine a slight salty taste. The Catalans make a spicier vermouth. Reus near Tarragona is the most famous town. There is a private museum with a bar, 1,300 bottles are on display and you can taste 118 brands.
And Reus is home to well-known bodegas such as Yzaguirre and Miró. But other regions are now also following suit. Madrid produces good vermouths, as do Andalusia and Murcia. On the island, only the Túnel distillery in Marratxí produces Mallorca vermouth. "Vermut Muntaner" is fruity and is macerated with juniper, aniseed, elderberry and cardamom. For lovers of a really bitter drink, a mixture of vermouth and the bitters Amaro is just the thing. The creation is called "Punt E Mes" (a point and a half in Piedmontese) and comes from Turin. In 1870, a stockbroker wanted to celebrate the rise in his shares by one and a half points in his favorite pub. A bodega fulfilled his wish with its own vermouth, which has remained on the market ever since. The Italians also made vermouth fashionable. As early as the 16th century, it was a popular and cheap drink in working-class districts of Turin, for example, and among ordinary or poor people in general. At the end of the 19th century, vermouth was exported to Spain. A certain Flaminio Mezzalama is said to have disembarked from an Italian ship in Barcelona.
He was the representative of the "Martini & Rossi" drinks brand. Soon, Barcelona's workers were also drinking vermouth after work, and later the bourgeoisie, who soon also appreciated the caramelized, spicy wine in cocktails. In 1892, a few years after his arrival, Mezzalama had to sue the first Spanish imitators in court, according to historical newspaper reports, but in vain: today there are more than 150 vermouth brands in Spain alone. Despite this boom, Martini is the global market leader. The wine was invented by the Germans. Wormwood has a Germanic name that refers to the herb Artemisia absinthium, which thrives best in temperate climates.
Hildegard von Bingen, Pastor Kneipp and other herbalists mixed it into tinctures and teas to help with menstrual cramps, liver cleansing and melancholy. In addition to the eponymous herb, wormwood wine also contains gentian, cinnamon, bitter orange and cloves. The exact blend is kept secret by the bodegas. The differences in taste are indeed great.
At the end of the 19th century, vermouth was exported to Spain
Palma's Calatrava district
Drink vermouth in Palma
Vermutería La Gloria
C/ Palmera 9
Palma Es Molinar
Daily except Mon + Tue
12-16 and 19.30-23 h
Sun 12-17.30 h
Tel: 697 78 95 96 or
871 95 50 09
Bodega Santa Clara
C/ Santa Clara 4
Palma Calatrava Quarter
Tue to Sat 18-21 h
Tel: 667 97 40 66
bodegasantaclarapalma.com
Taberna La Mondiale
Market hall Mercat de l'Olivar
on the second floor
Mon-Fri 7-14.30
Sat 7 am - 3 pm, Sun closed
Tel: 610 215 031
La Rosa Vermutería and
La Rosa Chica Vermutería
C/ de la Rosa 5
Palma Old Town
Mon 19-24 h
Tue-Sun 12-24 h
Tel: 971 77 89 29
C/ Monsenyor Palmer 5
Palma Santa Catalina
Mon 19-24 h
Tue-Sun 12-24 h
Tel: 871 93 91 49
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