Before the advent of the internet, bars and cafes were real social fulcrums and vermouth fed the transmission of news.
Once upon a time, in an era when long hours of travel were needed to reach the nearest town, sitting in a bar was the best option not only to find peace and quiet, but also to learn about the latest political events, to actively participate in the social life of the town or even to find solutions to love problems. It was a very different world from the hyper-connected world of today, where we are also fish trapped in infinite social networks.
Centuries ago, bars and cafés were a true social fulcrum and fulfilled a function comparable to that of the Internet today. To find out what was going on in the world, all you had to do was sit down, have a good vermouth and wait. Even if the range of drinks was reduced, vermouth was almost always on the menu, not only in Italy where it became popular 150 years ago, but all over the world – from Europe to South America and even Africa. In those times, vermouth was the most popular drink, which put an end to fashions and created new ones.
From the traditions of bourgeois aperitifs to literary cafés, from the meetings of politicians and intellectuals to the most common village chronicle: everything revolved around vermouth.
Today, many years later, vermouth is still present in bars all over the Mediterranean, on its own, with soda, mixed in delicious cocktails or accompanying creative pairings from the hands of the most avant-garde chefs.
So it is worthwhile to stop our hurried lives for a few moments and toast: Salut y Vermut!
