Here a well made cocktail is rivaled only by very good champagne. If you follow me on social media you will know that my own personal preference is the Martini. My desired taste at home however differs greatly to my taste in a fine hotel bar. Alternatively of course, if they are not regular Martini drinkers then there is a high likelihood then your Martini, if made in the dry style, will potentially simply taste like a hooker of cold gin.
After a considerable amount of time, investment, research, potentially enough ice to replenish the ice caps and many, many many Martinis I have however discovered a secret weapon to elevate the home made Martini to a high art form—the silver bullet in this instance is Dolin Dry vermouth. Simply unscrewing the cap on a bottle of Dolin is an enticingly aromatic experience—the scent of those herbs refreshing the senses.
The alpine aromatics continue to the palate too, perfectly complementing juniper in gin. Dolin is so good that it converts me, a lover of the Dukes Martini, to take on a considerable less dry Martini particularly at home. Whilst Dolin can be, and indeed is, regularly used by professional bartenders with wonderful results it is equally as efficient in the hands of an amateur—indeed it is so enticing a vermouth that it can enrich and redeem even the most poorly made Martini.
Under the extremely warm and kind welcome of Pierre-Olivier Rousseaux myself and a friend were provided with a personal overview of the history of Dolin and a rare glimpse into their archives and production process. Dolin is very much a regional product—the region in which Dolin is based was once part of the Kingdom of Savoy. This encompassed much of northwest Italy and South-Eastern France.
In , inspired by the increasingly popular vermouth, then being produced in Turin, Chavasee would create his own unique version using a blend of fresh alpine herbs. Marie grew up learning her father's art and upon marrying local Louis Ferdinand Dolin she would with her new husband formally found Maison Dolin in When Louis Ferdinand passed away in Marie Dolin established herself in the great tradition of French widows.
