Noilly-Prat’s dry vermouth has long been considered by many devotees to be the only choice for a well-made martini. The company used to run full-page ads quoting novelist and martini connoisseur W. Somerset Maugham: "Noilly-Prat is a necessary component of a dry martini." [Without Noilly-Prat] "you can make a side car, a gimlet, a white lady, or a gin and bitters, but you cannot make a dry martini."
The company claims they are merely returning to the "original recipe," (which, they say, has been the version sold in Europe all along). They have enhanced "the bouquet, color, and flavor of the wine," producing a "sweet, floral blend." Obviously, a clear, dry martini is not what they had in mind.
In response, Derek Brown, owner of The Gibson, a swank new cocktail lounge in Washington D.C., suggested to importer Eric Seed that he seek out the Dolin vermouths. Early response has been favorable.