#sutton cellars

[stagdining]

Throwback Thursday: Aug 2011 The Dogpatch Dinner with The Bold Italic at Sutton Cellars

[inamb]

Captured SFs Sutton Cellars Vermouth roaming the tabletops of New England

[stagdining]

Carl wears his love on his sleeve.

Photo: Chelsea Larsson for dinner with The Stags at our Evening with Tobias Wolff

[bayareaspirits]

I have a newfound love for sweet vermouths.  I picked up a bottle of Cocchi Vermouth di Torino when I was at K&L Redwood City a few weeks ago and I've been using it to make Negroni and Americano cocktails at home.  There's something about the sweet, herby, bitter, creamy flavor of sweet vermouth that's refreshing and delicious.

For the record, vermouths are wines that have been fortified with more alcohol (vermouths are usually 14-20% ABV) and an assortment of herbs, spices and botanicals.  Because vermouth is essentially a fortified wine, you need to treat it that way: keep it chilled after opening and finish it in 2-3 days.  Do me a favor: that bottle of vermouth that you've had sitting out since your last house party, next to the Captain Morgan and the red Solo cups?  Throw it away, it's spoiled.

You can drink it chilled or on the rocks, like the pictures above, which I took last week at Bay Wolf Restaurant in Piedmont.  

Those in the city have a great chance to learn more about vermouth at the Vermouth Seminar at The Boothy Center, sponsored by the Barbary Coast Conservancy of the American Cocktail.  Here are the details:

What: Vermouth Class with Carl Sutton of Sutton Cellars, makers of the Bay Area's hometown vermouth

When: Tuesday, May 17th, 7 pm to 9 pm

Where: The Boothby Center for Beverage Arts, 1161 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA

Cost: $25 per ticket

Details:  "Join winemaker Carl Sutton on an exploration of what vermouth is and why you need to know. We’ll start with a lesson on vermouth’s history and cultural significance, including a comparative tasting of popular and boutique vermouths. Next we’ll delve deeper into Carl’s own formula, tasting the components of his the popular vermouth that he makes right here in San Francisco and that you can find in many of the city’s top cocktail bars and fine restaurants. Then we’ll look at vermouth’s role in a cocktail (and taste TWO MARTINIS of those while we’re at it) before moving on to a flight of wine-based aperitifs and digestifs. That’s a lot of tasting and education for only $25."