The holiday season is a great time to stir up cocktails for friends. Our tip? Try Italian vermouth. This ingredient has long taken a back seat to spirits in famous cocktails like the Negroni, Martini, and Manhattan. Recently, however, vermouth has been standing out on its own. Whether mixed into drinks or enjoyed over ice on its own, its glistening white and luscious red hues are a great addition to your home bar.

Vermouth is an aromatized, fortified wine infused with a mixture of herbs and botanicals to create a unique, flavorful drink. It is higher in alcohol content than wine (generally 15–22%) but it is not technically a spirit. Although it is often served alongside them in cocktails. The word “vermouth” comes from the German word for wermuth (“wordwood”), a bitter herb used to aid digestion and treat fevers. It was also famously used in Absinthe.