A splash of European colour in your summer drinks cabinet? Check out our Marini Fiero review…
Vermouth is one of those drinks that doesn’t get much love outside of continental Europe. But, being a fan of Spanish culture,and having lived in Valencia for a short while, I have developed an appreciattion for a good vermut casero (home made vermouth). Unfortunately these are hard to come by in the UK, so I was happy to spot that Martini have released their Fiero vermouth.
Now, vermouth is traditionally a wine that has been steeped in spices with an added splash of a spirit to keep the potency up. In the UK and USA, vermouth tends to be reserved as a mixer – for martinis, negronis and all manner of other cocktails.
But, in Spain, France and Italy, you’ll often spot people supping on a glass of vermouth with just ice and a slice.
Martini Fiero adds a bit of orange zest to the traditional Martini aperitif, but is it any good?
This review of Martini Fiero is NOT a promotion. It is my opinion only and has not been paid for or endorsed by any company.
Martini Fiero over ice
First up, the traditional way of enjoying a vermouth is just over ice with a slice of orange. Compared to some of the Spanish house vermuts, I found the Fiero to be quite sweet and a little less subtle with the flavours. Often your in-house vermouth will have a number of spices and hidden flavour notes which come through on each sip.
But, thats not to say the Fiero was unpleasant. Quite the opposite. The overriding flavour is definitely the zesty citrus orange, making it not unlike something like Aperol.
But what makes it different to Aperol is those spice notes – which are definitely there, albeit less than the Spanish versions. It tastes less like a sort of orangey alcopop style drink than Aperol, and more like a grown ups drink.
So as a short drink, on its own, those spiced orangey wine notes are very summery and took me right back to people spotting from my bodega in Valencia.
Martini Fiero Spritz
Having mentioned Aperol, I did think that Martini Fiero would make a good spritz. So, I put it to the test with a splash of tonic water.
Yes, a proper Spritz Veneziano (as they call the Aperol Spritz in Italy), is with prosecco and soda water. But mix tonic with Martini Fiero and you’ve got an undeniably delicious spritz.
Does it match Aperol? Actually, yes. I found that Aperol is more orangey, where Fiero has those spice notes coming though. If you spot that the bar you’re in stocks Martini Fiero, definitely ask for a Fiero Spritz if you’re feeling adventurous.
Cocktails with Fiero
It got me thinking, “Could you make a Negroni with Martini Fiero?”
I’ll be honest, I didn’t have Campari, which is obviously a key part of a negroni. But I figured that I could double down on the Fiero in place of the Campari. And obviously as a sweet vermouth, it should be fine to to use as the… Well, sweet vermouth.
So, my negroni wasn’t particularly authentic, and was basically 25ml of gin with 50ml of Martini Fiero. Maybe that’s not actually a negroni…
But, delicious? Yes. Obviously.
So, as a vermouth fan, yes I thought Martini Fiero was worth adding to my drinks cabinet. And yes I will be buying it again!
This is an entirely independent review of Martini Fiero and has not been paid for or endorsed by any other company.
