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Cardinale (Naren Young)

1 oz Gin, Dorothy Parker
3⁄4 oz Contratto Bitter
3⁄4 oz Dry vermouth, Lo-Fi
Instructions

Stir, strain, over a big cube or up; lemon peel expressed and discarded; dehydrated lemon peel garnish

History

A variation on modern versions of the 1950's Cardinale which was originally a gin/Riesling/Campari cocktail created by Giovanni Raimondo at Hotel Excelsior in Rome.

The Riesling was changed to dry vermouth in contemporary recipes, and the 2024 official IBA version is 4 parts gin, 2 parts dry vermouth, 1 part Campari.

Cocktail summary
Posted by mako on
Created by
Naren Young, Dante's, New York
Year
2016
Is an
altered recipe
Reference

https://punchdrink.com/recipes/cardinale/

Curator
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User rating
3 stars
(1 rating)
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  • Like a drier, more bitter (more challenging and interesting) Negroni. Drink is a little small.
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Comments
Shawn C commented on 10/19/2026:

This isn't really a Cardinale. Probably should be re-named as some sort of variation since it uses somewhat different ingredients in somewhat different ratios. The IBA version (2024) is a 2:1:1/2 with gin/dry vermouth/Campari. Contratto bitter isn't really a direct sub for Campari, and Lo-Fi "dry" vermouth is to the sweeter side of a dry vermouth from what I understand. No need for Dorothy Parker gin unless making a specific bartender's recipe.

The original 1950's Cardinale used dry white wine (Riesling) instead of vermouth. The ratios were 3 gin: 2 wine: 1 Campari. Modern versions use Gin/dry vermouth/Campari in various ratios.

Shawn C commented on 10/22/2026:

Curated a few typos, added history, changed to altered recipe, added Naren Young to the name. I tried this with Lo-Fi dry vermouth, and Contratto Bitter as specified, but didn't have the somewhat odd and floral and fruity Dorothy Parker Gin, so I used Rock Rose Gin. The Lo-Fi has some anise character. The resultant color is a pale pink. Overall the proof was a little low and flavor somewhat thinner than hoped. I then made the IBA version of the Cardinale, which had a more intense hot pink hue, more alcohol heat, and more bitter and wine character.