Top Shelf Dry Vermouth Liqueur

Top Shelf Dry Vermouth Liqueur is a 50ml Still Spirits Top Shelf liqueur flavouring. It needs no base pack and can be made on 40% ABV neutral spirit or on dry white wine. Still Spirits describes it as "Refreshing with sweet and spicy notes."

What it tastes like

A dry vermouth for martinis and negronis, or for the fridge door as an aperitif with soda. Unlike the rest of the liqueur range it needs no base pack, and it can be made on white wine rather than spirit, which gives the more authentic result.

How to make it

Two ways, per Still Spirits. The spirit version: shake the bottle and add it with 450ml of 40% ABV neutral spirit or vodka to 625ml of water. The wine version: use 150ml of spirit and replace the water with 925ml of dry white wine. Either way the finished volume is about 1.1 litres at vermouth strength. It is ready to pour the same day.

The spirit can be bought vodka or your own neutral spirit off an Air Still Pro or Turbo 500. Because a liqueur is sweet, it is more forgiving of a base spirit than a straight vodka essence is, but a carbon-filtered spirit still gives a cleaner result.

When to choose this one

Choose the wine method if you have a bottle of dry white you would not otherwise drink. Choose the spirit method for a longer-keeping bottle. This is the only product in the Top Shelf liqueur set that does not use a base. The full set is on the Top Shelf essences collection.

Specifications

• Range: Still Spirits Top Shelf
• Bottle size: 50ml
• Makes: 1.125 litres
• Base pack needed: no base needed
• Allergens listed by Still Spirits: sulphites

Check your local laws regarding home distilling before purchase.

Reviewed by the AHB Brewing Team, September 2026.