Lisbon has a new bar with a clear point of view. Opened in late September at Largo de Santos, Vermuteria Nacional is dedicated to vermouth, a drink with strong traditions in Spain, Italy and France, but a less established place in Portuguese drinking culture.
The project was started by three partners, including João Maria Carvalho, who returned to Portugal after several years abroad with the idea of making vermouth more familiar to local drinkers. Their approach is to put Portuguese producers at the centre of the offer, while introducing customers to the wider world of the drink.
Image: @vermuterianacional
The menu currently features 20 vermouths, five of them Portuguese, from regions including Madeira, the Douro and Minho. They are available by the glass, alongside house cocktails made with Portuguese vermouth. For those who would rather eat than drink, the kitchen serves petiscos, conservas and more substantial dishes, including bacalhau com broa and açorda de camarão.
But Vermuteria Nacional is intended to be more than a specialist drinks bar. The partners have drawn on the atmosphere of traditional neighbourhood cafés and recreational clubs, furnishing the space with second hand pieces and objects with a sense of nostalgia. With a terrace facing Jardim de Santos, the ambition is to create an informal meeting place that feels connected to its surroundings.
It is an interesting addition to Santos, a neighbourhood with a long association with nightlife. Rather than opening another generalist cocktail bar, Vermuteria Nacional is building its identity around a specific drink and the producers behind it. Whether vermouth becomes a regular choice in Lisbon remains to be seen, but the bar is giving Portuguese versions of it a more visible place on the menu.