Rivata Dry Vermouth

Rating: 17/23 As this is vermouth, I will deviate from my standard NPF review format. I will improvise and attempt to assess its quality as a mixer. I have no prior knowledge of Rivata, but it was inexpensive. I've sampled the common options and wasn't particularly impressed by any of them (I intended to try Carpano, but it was unavailable), so I decided to give this a shot. As a side note, amusingly, it features three drink recipes on the back, none of which is a martini. While I recognize this isn't extra dry, it's still sweeter than anticipated. It doesn't offer a vast array of flavors, but the taste is acceptable. There's a touch of tartness to provide balance and it aligns with the typical vermouth profile, though not much is happening here. Nevertheless, it's entirely functional and can achieve that dry characteristic that those extra dry versions lack. It performs reasonably well in a 6:1 martini with New Riff Kentucky Wild Gin (17/23). I don't believe it significantly enhances the gin, but it doesn't overpower it either. However, it doesn't fare as well in the same cocktail with The Botanist (16/23). I would certainly prefer The Botanist neat over this. Adding the correct amount of this might slightly improve Uncle Val's Botanical (10/23), but Uncle Val's is quite poor to begin with, so that's hardly an accomplishment. I have mixed feelings about this overall. Primarily, I'm uncertain of its intended use. Exploring further with martinis, Spirit Of French Lick Aquavit (14/23) tastes somewhat better with this. Valentine Liberator (19/23) pairs nicely with this, although I'm unsure if it's better prepared this way or neat. Hmm, I lean towards preferring Valentine on its own. Still, this works quite effectively. While I'm not a vermouth expert, I am pleasantly surprised by this. It possesses a rather bold, flat flavor, but I have discovered a few martinis where it pairs quite well. Considering this, I think it's actually a rather good dry vermouth. I would like to revisit and compare its performance in mixed drinks with certain spirits where it excelled, against other dry vermouths using the same spirits. For now, however, this is a genuinely surprising standout. I don't find that this matches the quality of Valentine in a mixed drink, but I do find it to be pleasant when combined with New Riff. I'm considering a score of 16 to 18 for this, which is frankly much higher than I ever expected. I'm leaning towards a 17, but a 16 or an 18 are also plausible. Between the two, an 18 seems slightly more likely. Oh, wait. After sampling Monkey 47, I'm reconsidering if this is indeed an 18. It's earning a 17. Yes, at this moment, I'm settling on a 17. However, scoring this is quite challenging, and it might be benefiting from the presence of some excellent spirits.