Vermut or vermouth? That is the question

Susie has always loved vermouth and has been banging on for six years about how underrated it is. She has never understood why the art of mixing botanicals has been so associated with gin making. Sigh! Obviously AJ hasn't a clue what she's talking about but starts to warm to the theme. They are joined by artisan vermouth makers Guy Abrahams and Gnina Balchin who talk them through the process. They explain that vermouth is a fortified and aromatised wine, and names Wormwood (Artemisia absinthium) amongst its botanical flavourings. Wormwood is a herb known to aid digestion and was created centuries ago, to cure a wide variety of ailments due to the complex mix of infused herbs, roots, bark, flowers and other purportedly medicinal ingredients. Let's see what AJ makes of it all.