Barfly: 3 ‘dry’ products to try

Dry January is upon us. But when it comes to booze, “dry” can mean a great many different things. For instance, in an extra-dry martini, does “dry” mean the vermouth? Or the gin? Or even the amount of vermouth? The answer to all three of those questions is yes. And that’s what makes things so confusing. Take, for instance, the liqueur triple sec. In French, “sec” means dry, as opposed to sweet, so theoretically, triple sec should mean triple dry. But anyone who has ever tasted any premium triple sec — be it Cointreau, Combier or even Grand Marnier — knows that those products are actually extremely sweet, maybe even the sweetest of the sweet. If you’ve ever had a so-called “off-dry” European wine, like German Gewürztraminer or Austrian Grüner Veltliner, then you know that off-dry is really just another way of saying sweet or at least relatively sweet. It doesn’t help that the German word “gewurz” means spicy and not sweet, but spicy in the sense of herbaceous and not hot.

Then there are terms like “semi-dry” or “demi-sec,” which often seem to indicate the opposite of what one would think. Remember, James Bond’s original movie martini was a “medium dry” vodka martini — as ordered in “Dr. No” and “Goldfinger” — and that would have had sweet vermouth in it as well as dry vermouth, according to all the “Mr. Boston” bar guides of the time. These days, medium dry would be more dry vermouth than normal, and certainly no sweet vermouth. But we are often locked into the era that we live in, and then we just conveniently forget about the past. Otherwise we might know that the original martini, the so-called Martinez, according to the historical marker in downtown Martinez, was Old Tom gin (a very sweet gin), sweet vermouth (sweet as in actually sweet) and bitters, which in spite of its name also often has high amounts of sugar in it. This leaves us with one inescapable conclusion: Dry means whatever we want it to mean.

In light of those facts, I’ve assembled three local “dry” products sure to fit whatever your definition of dry is. Happy January!

• Domaine Carneros by Taittinger 2022 Verméil Demi-Sec sparkling wine, Napa, 750 milliliters, $43

Demi-sec means “partly dry,” but what it translates to in taste is actually mostly sweet, but not sweet in a cloying way. If you believe Domaine Carneros’ marketing, most original champagne was traditionally sweeter than what we see today. And they might be right. There are seven levels for dryness in sparkling wines (méthode champenoise), and four of them are definitely sweet. The most common level we see in the United States, and really almost exclusively what we see here, is brut. Demi-sec is the second sweetest level; brut is the third driest. The level of sweetness or dryness is related to the dosage, which is adding sugar at the end of production to balance out the desired flavor. That’s a lot to process, but what it means is that this sparkler is just sweet enough, delightfully so. It’s much more subtle than, say, a spumante, and much more elegant too. The French really know how to make sparkling wine, even when they make it in the United States.

For more information or to purchase, go to domainecarneros.com.

• Alamere Spirits’ London Dry Gin, Novato, 750 milliliters, $35

A quick note about “London Dry”: The term “London” is a legal definition for gin that means only all-natural botanicals are used in its manufacture, and “dry” is a style designation. It’s possible to be a London gin and not be dry, just as it’s possible to be a dry gin and not be London. Practically speaking, London dry is what many of us consider gin to be. Bombay, Tanqueray, Beefeater and Boodles are all London dry gins. And Alamere’s London Dry Gin fits right in there. Boozy and piney, it is what it is, unapologetically. Eighty-two proof gives it the extra kick, while almonds add smoothness and citrus adds some sass. Crisp doesn’t really do it justice. Alamere also offers California delivery.

For more information or to purchase, go to alamerespirits.com.

• Free Spirits Co.’s Spirit of Gin, nonalcoholic, Marin County, 750 milliliters, $35

Marin resident Milan Martin’s Spirit of Gin is crafted in the so-called Plymouth style, albeit without the alcohol. Plymouth gin is technically a London dry gin with its own protected area of origin. Free Spirits might be splitting hairs here, but their Spirit of Gin is truly loaded with juniper, and then backed up with cardamom and citrus, just like one would expect. Added capsicum (hot pepper) gives it a bit of bite. In a nonalcoholic gin and tonic, it’s quite refreshing, but I’ve found that it’s also a great way to go low alcohol, meaning that by substituting it for regular gin in drinks like a Negroni, or mixing it in a martini with premium full-alcohol dry vermouth, you can enjoy the complexity of a classic cocktail while minimizing the alcohol.

For more information or to purchase, go to drinkfreespirits.com.

Jeff Burkhart is the author of “Twenty Years Behind Bars: The Spirited Adventures of a Real Bartender, Vol. I and II,” the host of the Barfly Podcast on iTunes (as seen in the NY Times) and an award-winning bartender at a local restaurant. Follow him at jeffburkhart.net and contact him at jeffbarflyIJ@outlook.com