Steeped in Sussex
Vermouth Actually
£32 / 50cl / 17% abv
A Centre-Stage Vermouth from Hove (actually…!)
Most vermouths live at the back of the cupboard – splashed into a sauce or drowned in a cocktail. Vermouth Actually is different. This is a premium Sussex vermouth designed for sipping: poured short, taken slowly, and enjoyed like a fine whisky, brandy, or port.
If you think vermouth is just a mixer, come and discover how good it can be when it takes centre stage.
The Summer Serve
While we prefer to enjoy Vermouth Actually neat, on a warm evening, or if you really want to interrogate the botanicals, enjoys it 50/50 with soda water over ice, finished with a slice of fresh orange.
Light, refreshing, and sophisticated – the perfect long drink that really lets the 20+ botanicals shine.
Late Night & Neat, Alex's Favourite
While vermouth is typically kept refrigerated, what you have discovered here is a premium, indulgent ‘sipping vermouth’ enjoyed best neat and at room temperature.
Founder Alex enjoys Vermouth Actually best late at night straight from a heavy glass – maybe with a simple twist of orange peel to bring out the aromatics. No ice. No fuss. Just the vermouth.
Born from Curiosity & Travel
Vermouth Actually began as a happy accident during Alex Ryan’s travels, when a simple vermouth and soda eased his indigestion and sparked a curiosity for its balance of botanicals and bitterness. That moment became an obsession – experimenting back home through dozens of small batches.
Unique (and sometimes secret!) botanicals were gathered on Alex’s further travels, with the final ‘recipe completing’ ingredient, a very special kind of cardamom, discovered in an incredibly hot curry in Ranthambore, India.
The Family Connection
Through Alex’s vermouth adventure, a family story resurfaced: his grandparents’ favourite drink, their own mix of red & white vermouth, topped with soda, affectionately called “mixed and”. It felt like something passed down, and when the recipe finally clicked, Alex honoured them by including his middle name, their surname, Gray, on the label. Read the full Vermouth Actually story by clicking the button below.
Our Signature Cocktails
While we prefer to enjoy Vermouth Actually neat, or lengthened with soda water, vermouth is traditionally a much-loved cooking ingredient, and an integral to many famous cocktails, like the Negroni, the Manhattan and the Martini.
To embrace this side of vermouth, we’ve developed our own signature cocktails like the ‘Negroni Actually’ and the ‘Hove to Kyoto’. Give them a go!
