ABOUT US
Capitoline blossomed naturally within the walls of Italian restaurants in Washington, DC, where Peter Pastan and Kat Hamidi first began making Italian-inspired vermouth (amongst other liqueurs and aromatized wines) in the mid-2000’s. They then spent several years creating, tinkering, tasting, and serving endless iterations until 2015, when Capitoline officially launched, and was warmly received. You can now find Capitoline Vermouth & Aperitivi at retailers and restaurants across the District, as well as in seven states and counting.
How is
Capitoline made?
Capitoline is made by hand in small batches, aromatized with a series of select botanicals with which we intend to create a balanced and unique drinking experience.
BOTTLINGS
select press
“8 Regional Spirits We’re Taking Home as Souvenirs” [JAN 2020]
“Kat Hamidi and Peter Pastan are OG members of the D.C. food and bev community and self-taught vermouth-making magicians. Capitoline White Vermouthis unlike any I’ve tasted: golden, piquant yet silky, with candied lemon, saffron, honey, rose petals, and cinnamon as an ode to Kat’s Persian heritage. It’s great for cocktails or simply on the rocks with a lemon twist.”
— Amanda Carpenter, Bad Saint
“These Were the Best Things We Drank in 2018” [DEC 2018]
On Capitoline Sweet Rosé Vermouth; “I first tried this citrusy, nutty, herbaceous little beauty in a cocktail mixed with coconut milk at D.C.’s Bad Saint—and needed to know what the hell it was. Turns out, the stuff is made locally with carbonic rosé wine and comes in a bottle as pretty as it tastes. I snapped one up and brought it home, where I like to mix it with Campari and gin for a real nice Negroni (or just drink it straight on the rocks).”
—Hilary Cadigan, associate editor
“A list of essential locally distilled spirits” [DEC 2016]
“Why you'll like it: Most cocktail fans stock two kinds of vermouth: sweet vermouth, which is used in Manhattans and Negronis, and dry vermouth, which is a key ingredient in a classic martini. But for something different, try Capitoline's Rosé Vermouth. The brainchild of Etto co-owner Peter Pastan and bar manager Kat Hamidi, Capitoline's Rosé shows off a light sweetness and notes of baking spice, making it equally suitable for a Manhattan or sipping on its own on the rocks.
Try before you buy: Capitoline doesn't have a distillery - its vermouths are made at New Columbia, the home of Green Hat Gin. Stop by during New Columbia's Saturday hours, when you can sample the rosé, white and dry vermouths. They are usually featured in one or two cocktails - alongwith Green Hat, naturally - at New Columbia's tasting bar. New Columbia Distillers, 1832 Fenwick St. NE.”
“You Can Now Sip a Local Negroni with DC’s New Campari-Like Liqueur”[FEB 2018]
“Put down the Campari. There is a citrusy new aperitivo in town. The team behind Capitoline Vermouth just released Tiber, a delectably bitter, orange liqueur that is produced in partnership with New Columbia Distillers, the makers of Green Hat Gin. So yes, local booze nerds, you can go ahead and fashion an all made-in-DC negroni (minus the citrus peel, of course, unless you have a greenhouse).
Capitoline partners Kat Hamidi (formerly the manager/beverage director at Etto) and Peter Pastan (co-owner of Etto and 2 Amys) worked all of last year to create their first liqueur. Like their collection of local rosé, white, and dryvermouths, Tiber is made with a grain to glass approach, starting with a base spirit of red winter wheat that is harvested in Virginia. (Green Hat uses the same as the base for its seasonal gin.) The alcohol is then infused with tons of fresh citrus and Seville orange, according to Hamidi, plus warm spices like cardamom and ginger, and bittering agents like wormwood. Cochineal, an old school coloring ingredient, lends the aperitivo its ruddy orange hue (throwback indeed...the natural dye, favored by a number ofcraft spirit producers, has been extracted from red insects since the 16th century).”
“Vermouth Is Beginning to Have Its Moment in D.C.” [JUNE 2015]
“The housemade rosé vermouth at Etto could easily be mistaken for a cocktail. Aside from the lovely pinkish-garnet hue, it's citrusy and slightly sweet with a nice herbal, bitter finish. And why suspect vermouth when, well, who orders a glass of vermouth these days? But if you've ever visited Spain, you'll recognize the presentation: garnished with a pickled pepper, olive, and orange slice, and served with a soda siphon to turn the aperitif into a spritzer.
Etto is one of very few places in D.C. where you will find vermouth prominently featured on the menu...Etto manager Kat Hamidi and co-owner Peter Pastan have teamed up with New Columbia Distillers to bottle and sell their vermouth, which they're calling Capitoline Vermouth. The first batch will debut in restaurants and bars next week with retail locations to follow. The product will be the first commercially available D.C.-made vermouth.
The challenge is that most American drinkers tend to think of vermouth as that other ingredient in a martini or Manhattan. This new wave of vermouth advocates aims to show people that it can stand on its own, or at the very least, be just as important to the quality and character of a cocktail as the type of gin or whiskey.
In the U.S. today, vermouth is often an afterthought, while spirits are the main attraction. But with more domestic vermouths becoming available and bars experimenting with their own interesting interpretations, Hamidi believes vermouth is finally starting to get it’s due...
With Capitoline, Hamidi and Pastan are producing a white and a rosé vermouth out of New Columbia's Ivy City distillery. The rosé is a Sangiovese wine from a California vineyard co-owned by Pastan. The other is a blend of aromatic dry white varietals. Both vermouths have a similar citrusy herbal character and don't shy away from a little bitterness. We think bitter is kind of an undervalued element in a flavor profile, Hamidi says. She adds that it's very wine-centric: They didn't want to cover up the vermouth with a heavy-handed dose of botanicals and sugar since it is a wine-based product, after all.”
“The Best Local Distilleries, According to Top DC Bartenders”[JUNE 2016]
DC’s first commercially available vermouth, this fortified wine is made by hand in small batches at New Columbia Distillers (Green Hat Gin) in Ivy City. It only has two bottlings, rosé and white, so producers Kat Hamidi and Peter Pastan can sweat the details. "Aside from the fact that I love their vermouth, this is also a really nice opportunity to carry a superior product made by people I personally know and admire. The Capitoline Rosé Vermouth has a sweetness to it, and a light spice element, but it’s not overpowering. This vermouth integrates really nicely with a lot of things, and it balances well with floral elements, which is something I often find difficulty with."
—Adam Bernbach, bar director for 2 birds 1 stone, doi moi, Estadio, and Proof
“The 10 Best American Amaro Bottles to Drink Right Now” [MAY 2019]
“The Campari-Like Amaro: Capitoline Tiber:
This red bitter made by Washington D.C.-based Capitoline Vermouth tastes of grapefruit, ginger, and cinnamon. ‘It's one of the few that is still naturally colored,’ [Sother] Teague [of Amor y Amaro] says, referring to carmine, the traditional red coloring extracted from the cochineal beetle that many modern bitter liqueurs like Campari have foregone in recent years. He recommends Capitoline Tiber as a substitute for Campari, adding that it would be great in a Negroni or Americano, or on its own with seltzer.” — Laura Itzkowitz