Editing Vermouth (section)

==Etymology and history==
[[File:Vermouth Bottles.jpg|thumb|A collection of vermouth and [[quinquina]] bottles, including [[Noilly Prat]] Extra Dry, [[Lillet]] Blanc, Dolin Rouge, and [[Martini & Rossi]] Rosso]]

Consumption of wines fortified with herbs or roots is believed to have begun in China at least as early as the [[Shang dynasty|Shang]] and [[Western Zhou]] dynasties (1250–1000 BC).<ref name="ijo" /> The extra ingredients were added to wine to make it a medicinal drink. Medicinal drinks made by the alcoholic fermentation of herbs and sugars are mentioned in early Indian texts on medicine,{{sfn|Meulenbeld|Brill|1971}} though this does not imply that European vermouths originated from ancient Chinese and Indian drinks. Recipes for infusing white wine date back to [[ancient Greece]] from around 400 BC. A popular ingredient was [[Artemisia absinthium|wormwood]], based on the belief that it was effective at treating stomach disorders and [[intestinal parasite]]s.{{citation needed|date=August 2021}}<ref>{{cite book|last=Jackson|first=Ron S.|title=Specialty Wines|publisher=Elsevier Science|date=26 August 2011|edition=1st|location=Netherlands|pages=253|language=English}}</ref>

It was commonly used in Hungary at least since the 15th century with different species of artemisia plants, such as mugwort or wormwood and other spices such as mustard seeds, horseradish, elfdock, etc. Wormwood is called ''üröm'' or ''irem'' in Hungarian, hence the drink is called ''ürmös'' (wormwoodish) or [https://www.boraszportal.hu/borlexikon/ü-urmos-bor-190 ''ürmösbor''] (wormwoodish wine). In the 16th century, it was used with imported spices, too, including cinnamon, clove, etc. It was well known for healing stomach and digestion problems.<ref>{{cite web|title=Magyar Ürmös, ürmösbor – Sümegi és Fiai Pincészet|url=https://sumegi.hu/termekkategoria/urmosbor/|access-date=7 January 2022}}</ref>

The name "vermouth" is the French pronunciation of the German word ''Wermut'' for wormwood that has been used as an ingredient in the drink over its history. Fortified wines containing wormwood as a principal ingredient existed in Germany around the 16th century. Around this time, an Italian merchant named D'Alessio began producing a similar product in [[Piedmont]] as a "wormwood wine". D'Alessio's version of the libation contained other botanical ingredients in addition to wormwood. Competing brands developed shortly thereafter in eastern and southeastern France, containing their own proprietary mix of ingredients, including herbs, roots, bark, and spices.<ref name="clarke" />{{sfn|Walton|Glover|1998|p=496}}{{sfn|Herbst|Herbst|1998|p=349}} By the mid-17th century, the drink was being consumed in England under the name "vermouth", which has been the common name for the beverage until the present day.{{sfn|Walton|Glover|1998|p=496}}{{sfn|Herbst|Herbst|1998|p=349}}

Over time, two distinct versions of vermouth became established, one pale, dry, and bitter, and the other red and sweeter. Merchant [[Antonio Benedetto Carpano]] introduced the first sweet vermouth in 1786 in [[Turin]], Italy. The drink reportedly quickly became popular with the [[House of Savoy|royal court of Turin]].<ref name="clarke" /><ref name=mt/> Around 1800 to 1813, the first pale, dry{{sfn|Herbst|Herbst|1998|p=349}} vermouth was produced in France by Joseph Noilly.<ref name="clarke" />{{sfn|Herbst|Herbst|1998|p=349}} However, not all pale vermouths produced over time have been dry, and not all red vermouths have been sweet.<ref name="clarke" />

The use of vermouth as a medicinal liquor waned by the end of the 18th century, but its use as an ''[[apéritif]]'' increased in Italy and France.{{sfn|Brown|Miller|2011}} By the late 19th century, vermouth was being used in cocktails.<ref name="patterson" /><ref name="clarke" /> Bartenders found that it was an ideal mixer for many cocktails, including the [[Manhattan (cocktail)|Manhattan]] (beginning around 1880) and the precursors to the [[Martini (cocktail)|martini]].<ref name="tdb1" /> In addition, the popular Vermouth cocktail, first appearing in 1868,<ref name="tdb2" /> consisted of chilled vermouth and a twist of lemon peel with the occasional addition of small amounts of [[bitters]] or [[maraschino]]. The popularity of vermouth-heavy cocktails in America, often using twice as much vermouth as gin or whiskey, continued through the 1880s and 1890s. Although the amount of vermouth used in cocktail recipes had somewhat declined, it has recently been experiencing a rise as a favorite among a new breed of bartenders,<ref name="im1" /> as a key ingredient in many cocktails.<ref name="clarke" /><ref name="435s" />{{srn|Walton|Glover|1998|p=498}}{{sfn|Krader|2009|pp=120,129}}{{sfn|Herbst|Herbst|1998|pp=231,235–236}}  Vermouth gained popularity in the 1950s with help from the martini, which was being marketed by liquor companies. Product placement and celebrity endorsements from personalities such as [[Ernest Hemingway]] and [[Humphrey Bogart]] helped to increase the martini's profile. However, the most successful advertiser of the martini was the fictional character [[James Bond (literary character)|James Bond]].<ref name="tcm" />

The popularity of vermouth in the United States and Great Britain declined after the mid-20th century, but was still used in those countries in many classic cocktails such as the Manhattan, albeit in smaller amounts. The drink is more popular in other parts of Europe (such as Italy, France, and Spain, where it is often consumed by itself as an ''apéritif''). It is also very popular in Argentina, where—due to major Italian immigration during the late 19th and early 20th centuries—it is more than a drink; it is a cultural tradition among families, at the table and afterwards.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Time for an Argentine vermouth: the wineries driving a new trend|date=21 March 2022 |url=https://blog.winesofargentina.com/destacadas/argentine-vermouth/|access-date=28 March 2023}}</ref> Even such international brands as [[Cinzano]] have Argentinian-only products like [https://cinzanosegundo.com.ar/ Cinzano Segundo], made with local grapes.

In the years since 2013, interest in vermouth has renewed in the US. Artisanal makers have created new brands of vermouth tht do not seek to imitate European styles, and vermouth has been a fast-growing category within the wine trade.{{sfn|Ford|2015|p=166-69}}