Which spirit is used to make the cocktail Cardinale?

The Cardinale is an Italian-born combo of gin, Campari and dry vermouth.

Created in 1950 by Giovanni Raimondo at the Excelsior Hotel in Rome, the original Cardinale had a slightly different makeup. The original version was a somewhat lighter, aperitivo-style drink made with approximately one ounce of gin, a half-ounce of dry Moselle wine and one-third ounce Campari, which lent the drink its signature red color. The drink was garnished with a long, aromatic, clove-studded orange peel. Many people argue that the name of the cocktail probably derives not only from the cardinal who first ordered it, but also from the particular red color, which reminds the cardinal’s dress.

Before long, dry vermouth replaced the Riesling-style wine in the recipe, perhaps due to some combination of availability and shelf life. The equal-parts version best known today was likely codified by the International Bartenders Association (IBA), but at the Excelsior Hotel, barman Luca Di Francia still serves the original Cardinale, made with wine and assorted garnishes, from a tableside cart.