The bartender’s wine, vermouth, was found in 99% of the bars we polled this year, with 96% of them stocking two brands and 86% keeping three – hopefully all in the fridge.
According to our data, there are three brands that dominate the world’s best bars: Carpano Antica Formula, Cocchi and Martini.
Over the seven years we’ve been polling bars on this essential fortified, each has been found to be the bestseller at least on one occasion. This year it was Vermouth di Torino brand Cocchi, with 17% of bars making it their number one. The brand has presence beyond being the house vermouth, with more than half saying it was one of their bestselling three.
Fratelli Branca Distillerie’s Carpano Antica Formula was actually found to be the bestseller in one more bar – 18% – but wasn’t found in quite as many bars overall. It was one of the bestselling three in less than half of bars.
Interestingly, it is the third-placed Martini which claims the most house pours among our sample (19%), but if it’s not the house, it’s not as likely to be a back up than some of the others, our survey suggests. Just over a third stocked the classical vermouth.
So if the Italian brands dominate the upper end of our list, our first French entry appears at number four. Dolin, produced by an independent from Chambéry – the only vermouth appellation in France – comes in Dry, Blanc and Rouge form. Thirteen per cent of our polled bars said it was their go-to vermouth, and a not-so-shabby 36% said it was in their top three.
Mancino, very much a favourite among bartenders, founded as it was by ex-bartender Giancarlo Mancino, also had good presence (30% said it was among their top three) in the bars we polled, but was slightly less likely than the brands above it to be the house pour (9%). It’s very much the hot vermouth around, with more bars naming it the trending vermouth than any other.
How we did it
The Annual Brands Report results are the culmination of a survey of 100 bars from 33 countries around the world which have been nominated or won international awards. The report offers a picture of the buying habits of the world’s best bars – not only which brands sell best, but also what’s trending to indicate the brands that are hot right now.
To view the page-turner edition of the Brands Report click here.
The Brands Report will be serialised on drinksint.com throughout January.
