Carpano Punt e Mes Vermouth

Sweet Vermouth & Bitter | 750ml | 16% ABV | Carpano, Turin, Italy

Punt e Mes — Piedmontese for "point and a half" — is Carpano's half-vermouth, half-bitter. The story goes that an 1870s stockbroker walked into a Turin café and ordered a vermouth with "a point and a half" of bitter; the bartender bottled the request and the name stuck. Today it's the bridge between sweet vermouth and amaro, with a darker, more bittersweet profile than Antica Formula.

Tasting Notes

• Appearance: Deep mahogany, nearly opaque, with amber streaks
• Nose: Cherry, dried fig, cocoa, and bitter orange
• Palate: Bittersweet — caramel, dark berry, gentian, quinine
• Finish: Long and dry, with cocoa, herbs, and lingering bitter orange

Use It In

• Punt e Mes Negroni: Sub for sweet vermouth — the cocktail goes deeper and drier
• Manhattan (Punt build): Rye + Punt e Mes — a stirred drink with a built-in bitter edge
• Boulevardier: Bourbon, Campari, Punt e Mes — bitterness on bitterness, balanced by the whiskey
• On the rocks: Punt e Mes, ice, orange twist — a proper Italian aperitivo for amaro drinkers

When to Reach for Punt e Mes

Punt e Mes is the right call when you want a Negroni or Manhattan with more bitterness baked into the build, not added through extra dashes of bitters. It also works as a low-ABV sipper on its own — closer to a light amaro than a typical sweet vermouth. If you already drink Antica Formula and want to push further into the bitter end of the Carpano range, Punt e Mes is the next bottle.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does "Punt e Mes" mean?

Punt e Mes is Piedmontese dialect for "point and a half." The name comes from an 1870s Turin stockbroker who ordered a vermouth with one extra "point" of bitterness — a half-measure beyond the standard. The Carpano bartender bottled the recipe, and the cocktail order became a brand.

Is Punt e Mes a vermouth or an amaro?

Both, technically. Punt e Mes is classified as a sweet vermouth (wine-based, aromatized), but it carries a much stronger bitter profile than typical vermouth — close enough to amaro that many drinkers and bartenders treat it as a category bridge. In cocktails, it works as either.

Can I substitute Punt e Mes for sweet vermouth in a Negroni or Manhattan?

Yes — at a 1:1 ratio. Expect a deeper, drier, more bitter cocktail. If you find the result too bitter, dial back to a 50/50 split between Punt e Mes and a softer sweet vermouth like Carpano Classico or Antica Formula.

Browse the full vermouth collection at Wooden Cork.