The Best Ways to Use Marsala in Your Winter Cocktails

Made in several shaker-friendly styles, Marsala, the Sicilian fortified wine, can replace vermouth—and do so much more—for seasonal libations.

The mention of Marsala may stir you to flatten chicken breasts, chop mushrooms and bust out your Dutch oven, but the Sicilian fortified wine is far from a splash in the pan. Running the gamut from bone dry to lusciously sweet styles, Marsala is appealing to bartenders as a substitute for vermouth (or Port) as a way to easily lend layered notes to cocktails, especially this time of year. 

What is Marsala?

Marsala has been produced for hundreds of years in its namesake town in Sicily from a blend of grapes--usually Grillo, Inzolia and Catarratto. The wine is aged in wooden casks using a process called in Perpetuum, which is similar to the solera system used for Sherry in Jerez, before being fortified with neutral grape brandy and then (sometimes) sweetened with grape juice or must.

Traditionally Marsala is sipped neat, but it also has culinary applications. Drier styles add complexity to herb-filled savory dishes, while more luscious versions can go into desserts like zabaglione, an airy custard made with sugar and egg yolks. Now, it’s finally getting its due as a back-bar secret weapon.

“As fortified wines go, Marsala has got to be very near the bottom rung on the respect ladder,” says Jessica “Rabbit” King, owner and operator of Brother Wolf + Osteria Stella, an Italian aperitivi bar and restaurant in Knoxville, Tennessee. “But with cooked fruit flavors and nutty undertones, Marsala could so easily find its way to the top of the world of cocktails.” She also cites its wallet-friendly price tag and flavor comparisons to Madeira and Sherry as reasons why bartenders and home cocktailians should give it a go and pours it instead of vermouth in a Negroni variation that also stirs Malfy Rosa Gin and Etna Bitter.

Dry to Sweet

The sugar level in a particular bottle of Marsala determines the character of the expression, explains Hank Bowers, beverage director of Versus in Washington, D.C., the owners of Ciel Social Club, Heist, Casta’s Rum Bar and Morris American Bar. “The rich flavor of toasted almonds is very present in dryer Marsala—it’s a great way to round out a sharper cocktail with extra acid,” he says. “Sweeter Marsalas have everything you find in dessert wine: caramel, toffee, and butterscotch.” As in the kitchen, drier styles easily pair with savory flavors, including winter herbs like thyme and rosemary. Sweeter styles can either cozy up to equally sugary ingredients, or foil the bitterness in digestivi. Bowers uses Marsala in Bourbon and rum cocktails. He often swaps out all or half the vermouth in other drinks, like in his El Presidente variation with aged rum, which uses dry Marsala and bianco vermouth in a 2:1 ratio. 

How to Mix Cocktails with Marsala

Manhattan Superiore photo courtesy Cantine Florio

“When Marsala is mixed with spirits, it should be considered almost as a vermouth,” agrees Roberto Magnisi, director of Duca di Salaparuta, Corvo and Florio wineries. “That’s why pairings with whiskey or gin have always been a great success.”  Enter the Marsala Manhattan. His favorite recipe also includes smooth Irish whiskey and Angostura Bitters. He thinks Marsala fully expresses itself in any citrus-based libations like a Marsala Sour, which he describes as “persistent and with a perfect texture.” Yet his favorite application uses it as a substitute for vodka in a Bloody Mary. 

Cantine Florio dates back to 1833; today the winery produces a range of versatile Marsala DOC wines, including vergine (fortified only with grape juice-based brandy, not must), dry, semi-dry and sweet. “Each has its own characteristics depending on the aging period, the diverse interaction of the sea in each part of the cellar, and the different wood used in the barrels,” he notes. 

Magnisi goes on to say that incorporating Marsala behind the bar innovates the category in a refreshing way. Its increased alcohol content makes it more akin to liquors, boosting body and intensity, yet it still retains the aromas and flavors of a wine. Whatever style or brand you are considering, be sure to pass over those low-grade bottles of “Marsala cooking wine” in the vinegar aisle of your neighborhood grocery store. Grab some of the real stuff, get started on that poultry-based chicken dish, and mix up a Marsala-tini while it simmers. 

Marsala Cocktail Recipes

Negroni Ortigia

Recipe courtesy of Jessica “Rabbit” King, owner and operator of Brother Wolf + Osteria Stella, Knoxville, Tennessee

“Just like vermouth, Marsala is often offered in a ‘sweet’ or ‘dry’ option, making it an obvious substitution for vermouth in mixed drinks such as a Negroni,” she says. “The rich buttery flavor of brown sugar and vanilla in a good quality Marsala perfectly complements the dryer, bitter components of a red Italian bitter Aperitivo. 
1 oz. Malfy Rosa Gin

1 oz. 2018 Florio VecchioFlorio Marsala

1 oz. Etna Bitter

Grapefruit peel, for garnish

Combine the first three ingredients in a mixing glass. Add ice, and stir until perfectly cool and diluted. Strain into a chilled rocks glass or over ice, and express a grapefruit peel over the finished drink.

El Presidente

Recipe courtesy of Hank Bowers, Beverage Director, Versus, Washington, D.C.

“I've seen Marsala used in cocktails much the same way you would with other fortified wines as an extra layer of flavor,” he says. “Marsala adds caramel, nuttiness, and slight acid into a cocktail.” In his version of the El Presidente, cutting grenadine with blood orange juice and replacing half the sweet vermouth with dry Marsala creates a more wintery version of the classic.

1 ½ oz. Plantation 3 Star Rum

½ oz. Florio Dry Marsala

¼ oz. Carpano Bianco

½ oz. blood orange grenadine (equal parts blood orange juice mixed with grenadine)

¼ oz. orange liqueur

Bloody Mary Marsala

Recipe courtesy of Cantine Florio

“The bright, acidic tomato juice is complemented by the smooth, nutty Marsala – for a new take on a classic favorite,” says Cantine Florio brand ambassador Federico Cassini.” Since Marsala is so layered and full of flavor, this Bloody Mary requires fewer ingredients than the traditional recipe.

1 ½ oz. VecchioFlorio Dry Marsala Superi ore

½ oz. lemon juice

4 oz. tomato juice

3 dashes Tabasco sauce

10 dashes Worcestershire sauce

Lemon wedge and celery stalk, for garnish

Combine the first five ingredients in a tall glass over ice. Stir well, and garnish with the lemon wedge and celery stalk.