Outlandish Claims Bitter Tonic Red

Outlandish Claims Bitter Tonic Red is a Canberra vermouth built on barrel-aged Nebbiolo.

Bryan Martin is a chef who became a winemaker, known for his work at Clonakilla and for a string of unconventional bottlings under his own name around Canberra. This one is made in 300-litre batches. Canberra Nebbiolo forms the base. It ferments naturally, six weeks on skins, and goes into French barriques of five years' age before fortification and a maceration with tarragon, juniper, coriander, cinchona and semi-dried blood orange. Cinchona supplies the bitterness, and Barolo Chinato is the reference point. Residual sugar lands around 50g/L. Using serious red wine as the base is what sets this apart from most vermouth.

Bitter orange, quinine and dried herbs over a dense, tannic red-wine core, sweet but firmly checked. Serve it cold in a small glass over ice with orange peel, or build it into a Negroni, an Americano or a Bijou, or float it on a New York Sour.