Vermouth on our minds

One of the main avenues of inspiration for us is simply what we enjoy drinking ourselves outside of work. One of the favorite tipples of our team members Diego and Alejandro has always been vermouth, the fortified wine infused with herbs and bitter botanicals that is the aperitivo of choice for much of Mediterranean Europe. So when we held our first tasting dinner at MURI in August, we decided to test out a little aperitivo-styled drink that is inspired by the vermouths that we love. It went down a treat, so we decided to make more in time for a Christmas treat without alcohol.

'New Forms'

In a sign that our Founder Murray feels he is in the throes of a midlife crisis and desperately wants to feel young again, he named the blend after the iconic 1997 drum and bass album that won the Mercury Music Award, New Forms.

Made from a base of fermented local Stevnsbaer cherries (the same fruit that , there is a load of complexity going on here. This is our deepest, darkest, and sultriest blend. We add umami from blackened bergamot, resinous juniper, and bitter cinchona bark to hum together in balance.

You are hit immediately with luscious red and black fruits, light acidity, and woodsy tannins. There are notes of liquorice, cocoa and baking spices. We filtered it through the spent quince solids from Passing Clouds in order for the natural pectins to add body to the blend, so it is not overly sweet, but it possesses a rich, velvety mouthfeel that is decidedly more-ish.

New Serve

Our new blend is perfect enjoyed neat in a wine glass, or you can serve it in a tumbler over ice, topped with tonic and garnished with a wedge of grapefruit or orange for something altogether more refreshing to get a party started.

The blend isn’t Christmassy in a contrived way - you could enjoy this at any time of year - but this is exactly what you want to be sipping by the fire with a turkey sandwich in front of a movie on Boxing Day.