Take a Negroni, swap the gin for cold, dry bubbles and you get something lighter and more playful. The bitter orange of Campari and the spiced fruit of the vermouth stay, but the drink now fizzes and drinks at a far gentler strength.
4.3Editors’ rating
Taste4.3
Balance4.3
Easy to make4.7
Popularity70
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Add Campari and sweet vermouth and stir briefly to chill.
Top gently with cold, dry prosecco.
Garnish with an orange slice.
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Negroni Sbagliato
Taste
Bitter orange and herbal spice from Campari and vermouth, lightened by dry, lively bubbles. Bittersweet and fresh, with moderate alcohol.
History and origin
Sbagliato means "mistaken" in Italian, and the drink's origin story matches the name. It comes from Bar Basso in Milan, where bartender Mirko Stocchetto, who ran the bar from the late 1960s, is said to have reached for a bottle of sparkling wine instead of gin while making a Negroni. The customer liked the result, and the "wrong Negroni" stayed on the menu. The story is usually placed in the 1970s.
For decades it was mainly known in Milan and among bartenders. That changed in autumn 2022, when a short interview clip mentioning a Negroni Sbagliato went viral online and sent searches for the drink soaring. Today it is one of the best-known sparkling aperitivi, a sibling of both the Americano and the Spritz.
Bartender tips
Use a brut sparkling wine: sweet prosecco turns the drink sticky.
Stir the Campari and vermouth first, then add the wine and stir only once, so the bubbles stay.
At Bar Basso it is traditionally served in a large, heavy goblet with big ice cubes, which keeps it cold longer.
