San Francisco’s Bar Agricole has been a pioneer in the world of spirits since its inception by Thad Vogler and Eric Johnson nearly a decade ago. Sourcing their own base spirits from around the world—including bespoke rums, gins, mezcals, and brandies—these two bartending veterans have set the bar high for what’s possible in the world of cocktail curation.
Recently, they embarked on a new adventure in the world of Italian vermouth, setting out to source the cleanest, most additive-free version in existence. Since their idea of perfection didn’t exist, they teamed up with Piedmont powerhouse Bordiga to bring their vision to life.
As Thad told us: “We were tired of vermouths that were cloyingly sweet, sweetened with beet sugar which gives a contextless boring saccharine quality, as well as the ubiquitous caramel. Using less sugar and having it be an organic cane sugar makes the sweet aspect of the vermouth less industrial and overwhelming. I think it's no accident that we're watching more people turn from cocktails to natural wines recently. We wanted a vermouth that had the natural simplicity and transparency of a natural wine. Obviously, using organically farmed Nebbiolo was an aspect of that.”
While the vermouth has only ever been available directly from Bar Agricole as part of its cocktail program, a limited number of cases were recently made available to select retailers. As longtime fans of both Bordiga and Bar Agricole, we grabbed as many as we could purchase.
Limited to just 60 bottles, this Nebbiolo-based vermouth will give your Negronis the grip and full flavor they deserve. Try it in a Manhattan as well for the best Bourbon cocktail you’ll drink this year. For a more detailed look, check out the above video and prepare to get thirsty!
Bar Agricole x Bordiga Vermouth No. 1 $38.99
Made with organic Nebbiolo wine and enhanced with real cane sugar rather than industrial sweeteners and caramel coloring, this vermouth was bottled for Bar Agricole by Bordiga, who has been producing vermouth since the 19th century. Featuring more than thirty different macerations as opposed to the usual extracts or essences, this vermouth celebrates the aperitivo culture of Turin and is the Italian vermouth we’ve always dreamed of for making drinks.