Liquorice

Liquorice root contains glycyrrhizin, intensely sweet, so it alters the perception of the recipe even without raising analytical sugar. It helps explain why some red vermouths seem rounder than others with similar sweetness.

Cut into fragments, it delivers earthy, aniseed and root notes during maceration. Its persistence can mask the wine and turn the finish sugary, so it is usually balanced with wormwood, cinchona or citrus.

It is a classic ally of cinnamon, vanilla and bitter orange in dark formulae. The best red vermouths guide allows that texture to be compared, and Yzaguirre Clásico Rojo offers an example of balance between sweetness, spices and herbs.