Cardinale
A dry, herbaceous, cardinal-red aperitif — the Negroni’s leaner, more aromatic cousin.
Ingredients
- Gin, a classic London Dry is preferred40 ml
- Campari10 ml
- Dry vermouth, dry, Italian style20 ml
- Lemon, for garnish (optional)1 twist
Method
- Fill a mixing glass with ice cubes.
- Pour the gin, Campari and dry vermouth over the ice.
- Stir gently for 20–30 seconds, until the drink is ice-cold and lightly diluted.
- Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
- Express a strip of lemon peel over the glass to release its oils, then add it as garnish.
IBA (International Bartenders Association)
About this drink
The Cardinale was created at Rome’s Hotel Excelsior in the 1950s by bartender Giovanni Raimondo for a German cardinal who wanted a drink as elegant as his cardinal-red robes. Replacing the Negroni’s sweet vermouth with dry vermouth created a drier, more aromatic version of the classic. Today, it is recognised by the IBA as an official classic and still enjoyed as a sharper, less sweet aperitif.
