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Vermouth

wine

is

a liquor of a

rather

deep

golden

color,

of

absolute

clearness,

with

a

pronounced

boutiuet

of

aromatic

herbs

and

spices,

skillfully

combined

so

as

to

obtain

an

homo-

geneous

ensemble,

with

a

sweet

flavor,

endinjj

in

an

agreeable

aromatic

and

tonic-slight

bitterness.

ILsed

moderately,

it

has

a

beneficial

influence

on

the

organism,

in

stimulating

the

appetite

and

toning

the

action

of

weak

stomachs.

The

first

maker

of

Vermouth

in

Tui-iii

was

a

pastry

cook

and

liquor

retailer,

having

his

store

under

the

Portici

di

Piazza

Castello,

who

sold

his

customers

the

Muscatel

wine

of

Piedmont,

in

which

he

had

infused

some

of

tiie

herbs

that

are

identified

with

the

preparation

of

this

liquor.

From

the outset

it

met

with

the

favor

of

the

consumers,

and

the

demand

soon

grew

to

such

size

to

require

the

prepara

tion

on

a

lai'ge

scale,

thus

bringing

into

existence

several

estab-

lishments,

that

quickly

attained

commercial

importance.

These

supply

both

to

a

consideral)le

home demand

and

to

an

ever-increasing

export

trade,

showing

that

foreign

countries

alone require

somewhat

in

the

neighborhood

of

]

73,672,000

bot-

tles,

besides

.540,600

gallons,

of

this

vinous

liquor,

of

which

the

United

States

receives

per

year

about

43,056,000

bottles

and

about

65,000

gallons.

There

are

to-day,

in

Turin

and

neighborhood,

about

a

dozen

first-class

establishments

engaged

in

this

industry,

some

of

them

with

plants

that

are

small

towns

in

themselves,

where

many

thousands

of

workmen

find

remunerative

employment.

The

demand

for

this

Italian

.specialty

in

the

United

States

has

increased

wonderfully

within

the

last

twenty

years,

viz.,

from

about

50,000

ca.ses

in

the

early

nineties,

to

a

present

yearly

average

of

over

150,000

cases.

Vermouth

wine

is

drunk

in

Italy

and

in

most

foreign

coun-

tries

straight,

as

an

appetizer,

in

the

same

way

as

in

this

coun-

try

the

cocktail

is

taken

before

dinner.

In

the

United

States

it

is

generally

used

in

the

preparation

of

mixed

drinks,

although

foreign

consumers

drink

it

plain.

Vermouth

is

the

genius

of

the

cocktail,

being

the

ingredient

that,

either

in

the

Martini

or

the

Manhattan,

imparts

to

it

the

characteristic

feature

of

the

drink.

There

is

no

doubt

that

the

future

has

in

store

for

this

ar-

ticle

as

great

prospects

as

the

past

has

recorded

successes,

and

that,

as

consumers

in

this

country

become

more

familiar

with

the

use

of

Vermouth

as

a

beverage

to

be

drunk

plain,

which

en-

ables

them

to

better

appreciate

quality,

further

development

of

its

importation

will

be

realized,

especially

in

those

brands

which

can

challenge

in

the

matter

of

excellence.