Apple mint appears annually. The wine it’s based in will change from year to year. This is true of every Uncouth Vermouth blend: bases and balances will vary. Miraglia’s goal is to get the best out of each batch. For her, that means heeding what the ingredients need. One batch of 2012 apple mint was made with 100% Chardonnay. “You’re probably going to get a lot of salt,” Miraglia remarks, “It’s on the North Fork of Long Island, an ocean-side vineyard.”

That apple mint vermouth was “the second that I made a large amount of – a large amount meaning 35 gallons, which is generally the largest batch I make. I celebrate batch variation.” After two years of waiting, Miraglia is happy with that batch of 2012 apple mint. (There are several batches a year.) “We just started popping open bottles, and it’s aging really well.”

Hops, wildflower and pear ginger are in this year’s future. Along with apple mint and Serrano chile lavender (a sweet vermouth), pear ginger was one of Uncouth Vermouth’s starting triad. Now, there are ten flavors, and there are plans to expand the range. “There are so many cool edible plants around here,” Miraglia says. “The wildflower sounds like a bunch of flowers together, but really it’s fennel flower, dill flower, lime-basil flower, carrot flower…” It’s as local as drinking gets. “The farthest ingredient is the Finger Lakes brandy and the Finger Lakes Riesling.” Miraglia doesn’t use any sweeteners. “If it’s a sweet vermouth, it’s a sweet wine base. It’s just the wine. It’s all about the wine.” The better the wine, the more intricate its flavor, the more interesting and high-quality the vermouth.

This, too, makes Uncouth Vermouth unusual. Most vermouth producers use a neutral grape spirit – NGS for short. “The brandy I use adds flavor, because it’s delicious on its own.” If an ingredient doesn’t contribute something valuable, then it doesn’t go in the vermouth.