Drinking Italian: The Cardinale
"And your bird can sing."
You’d think I would have had my fill of red, bittersweet aperitivo drinks after my 5-Week Wednesday Residency at Caffe Dante wrapped up on Valentine’s Day, where I sipped and shared so many, including the Negroni Sbagliato, Bicicletta, Campari Seltz, Campari Shakerato, and the Garibaldi. But I’ve been thinking about another Italian-born creation that doesn’t register on the radar of many bar menus these days, the Cardinale. I’m returning to my usual corner perch (as a civilian) at Caffe Dante this Friday and I plan to make the Cardinale among the first drinks I order.
The Cardinale tends to be a reserve player among the squad of Negroni variations and doesn't see much game time in bars in Italy or beyond. Part of the reason is likely that swapping in dry vermouth instead of sweet vermouth transformers it into a more herbaceous, bone-dry drink that can prove a bit challenging for some Negroni lovers. But as Leonard Leuci, co-owner of Rome's Jerry Thomas Speakeasy and Latta Fermenti e Miscele, once told me, the classic Negroni simply has a better publicist and origin story.