Vermouth

White wine that has been fortified and flavored with various herbs and spices. The name vermouth comes from the German wermut (Wormwood) which, before it was declared poisonous, was once the principal flavoring ingredient. There are several types of this wine, the most popular being white dry vermouth, commonly thought of as French (although it's made in other countries including the U.S.). It's drunk as an Aperitif and used in non-sweet cocktails like the Martini. Sweet vermouth is reddish brown (colored with Caramel) and is also used as an aperitif as well as in slightly sweet cocktails such as the Manhattan. A third style-not as popular as the other two-is white and slightly sweet. It's called Bianco by Italians.