Italian cocktails tend to mutate and become something else quite often and these variations can become popular favourites in their own right. Take the Cardinale, for example, it is descended from the Negroni, a cocktail supposedly, invented in Florence in 1919 at Caffè Casoni (now called Caffè Giacosa). The Negroni, in turn, meanwhile, is said to be an Americano that was transformed by adding gin rather than soda water.
Then comes the Cardinale, a drink that is said to come from Rome and date back to the 1950s, and which is a riff on the Negroni. It alters the ratios of the Negroni and replaces the Campari for slightly spicy Contratto Bitter and sweet vermouth for dry, making for a more complex and drier cocktail. Don't be fooled by the pretty appearance, this cocktail isn't sweet and easy but something a little more challenging and not everyone's cup of tea (or should we say cocktail). However, if you're brave, try it out and, you never know, it could become a favourite.
Then comes the Cardinale, a drink that is said to come from Rome and date back to the 1950s, and which is a riff on the Negroni. It alters the ratios of the Negroni and replaces the Campari for slightly spicy Contratto Bitter and sweet vermouth for dry, making for a more complex and drier cocktail. Don't be fooled by the pretty appearance, this cocktail isn't sweet and easy but something a little more challenging and not everyone's cup of tea (or should we say cocktail). However, if you're brave, try it out and, you never know, it could become a favourite.
Our best suggestion? Find a holiday rental in Rome and really immerse yourself there by trying the cocktail out in the city that birthed it. There's no better place to enjoy a cocktail than on holidays, right?
Ingredients:
45ml of dry gin
45ml of Contratto Bitter
45ml of vermouth
Method:
1. Serve in an Old-fashioned glass (if possible).
2. Add all the ingredients to a cocktail shaker and stir with ice.
3. Strain into an ice-filled glass.
4. Garnish with an orange slice.
Now, while you're sipping on that cocktail and contemplating your trip, check out all of the wonderful things to see and do while you are in Rome. We have plenty of articles so you don't need to look very far for both tourist classics and ideas that are little more off the beaten track!
Ingredients:
45ml of dry gin
45ml of Contratto Bitter
45ml of vermouth
Method:
1. Serve in an Old-fashioned glass (if possible).
2. Add all the ingredients to a cocktail shaker and stir with ice.
3. Strain into an ice-filled glass.
4. Garnish with an orange slice.
Now, while you're sipping on that cocktail and contemplating your trip, check out all of the wonderful things to see and do while you are in Rome. We have plenty of articles so you don't need to look very far for both tourist classics and ideas that are little more off the beaten track!