Make This Quarantine Cocktail From the World’s Best Bar

Amid COVID-19 restrictions, Dante, the Greenwich Village institution officially crowned the world’s best bar, is still serving its famous negronis. They’re just serving them differently—you order online, and the drink comes in a beautifully crafted bottle rather than an artisanal glass. But the taste is certainly still there: owner Linden Pride says that they painstakingly tweaked their recipes to make sure the cocktails were just as good served right away as they were after a day or two in the freezer. Included in the $10 cocktail cost is a $1 donation to God’s Love We Deliver. The nonprofit delivers food to those who are seriously ill and cannot cook for themselves—a cause more important now than ever.

It hasn’t been the easiest pivot, admits Pride. “We basically had to start a whole new business in a time of crisis while laying off 40 staff members and negotiating with my landlord about whether I can afford to pay the rent,” he says. “I'm no longer worried about whether I can flip table 10 for the next group that has a reservation. I'm worried whether my internet's about to go down, whether enough people know how to order online, and whether the delivery driver will get there in time.”

Dante is also offering food delivery and curbside pickup. The latter isn’t only for paying customers. Every day, starting at 5 o’clock, they offer a family meal—or, food to-go for anyone who needs it, especially those in the service industry. “If you lost your job at a bar or restaurant, you just have to come to the counter, ask for the family meal, and we give you a hot meal to take home,” says Pride.

Consider it Dante helping us cope the only way they know how: with good food and drink. “At this time, with this crazy virus, we aren’t able to come together and break bread around a table,” he says. “But food, in some ways, is medicine. It helps anxiety and illness, to be fed properly and fed well.”

Below, they share a recipe for their favorite quarantine cocktail: a Cardinale, which is a “drier style of Negroni from Rome.”

And, if you’d like to support Dante during this time—order food and drink online, or buy a gift card. They’re also taking donations via phone (212-982-5275) for their family meals.

Cardinale

1 oz. Dorothy Parker gin

¾ oz. Contratto Bitter

¾ oz. La Quintinye dry vermouth

Method: Stir & strain on new ice

Glass: Etched Rocks

Garnish: Lemon twist (discard) and dehydrated lemon wheel