Years ago when I was a vermouth drinker I was told the reason it was so called was because the wine was aged in wormwood barrels. This doesn't seem likely, given the size of the plant. Perhaps it was flavoured with Artemisia. Anyone know more?
The person who invented it (Antonio Benedetto Carpano from Turin, Italy) chose to name his concoction "vermouth" in 1786 because he was inspired by the German wine flavoured with wormwood, (herb used in distilling absinthe). The modern German word Wermut (Wermuth in the spelling of Carpano's time) means both wormwood and vermouth. The herbs in vermouth were originally used to mask raw flavours of cheaper wines, imparting a slightly medicinal "tonic" flavour. Vermouth does in fact not have any wormwood in it at all, instead using aromatic herbs and spices such as cardamom, cinnamon, marjoram and chamomile to flavour it.
As a former Vermouth drinker as well, I appreciate the
history. I drank it in gin, where, I can see, it served
the same purpose.
Some other words for wormwood: Greek αψινθιον (apsinthion), Russian полынь (polyn'.
For those of us who don't speak Greek, could you share
the Ingenious aspect.
The green alcoholic drink absinthe, comes from the Greek apsinthion (sometimes it is simply called absinthion) for wormwood because it includes the flowers and leaves of the herb Artemisia absinthium, "grande wormwood". So the inventor stole the Greek for the plant for his drink, rather than come up with something new. The plant is also used therapeutically to remedy indigestion, gastric pain and labour pain. The name comes from Artemis, goddess of the hunt, and protector of the forest and the absinthium bit means, possibly, unenjoyable, alluding to the bitterness.
So the inventor was hijacking the use of the plant as remedial and also warning drinkers of its bitterness!
I get it now....thanks. Very clever that.
It certainly delighted my heart.
For those of us who don't speak Greek, could you share
the Ingenious aspect.
I believe he was just admiring the origin of English absinthe (via French) from Greek apsinthion. Latin borrowed the word as absinthium and had a drink called absinthites 'wine flavored with wormwood'.
..... was because the wine was aged in wormwood barrels.....
They must have mighty small axes to cut down those wormwood trucks
