Gin cocktail

Negroni Sbagliato

The Negroni that got it wrong on purpose.

Aperitivo Easy 3 min
★ 4.4 (102)
Negroni Sbagliato

Photo: Negroni sbagliato by Wine Dharma · CC BY 2.0 · All credits

  • 30 ml Jigger One small side (25 ml) of a standard jigger, plus a teaspoon. Campari
  • 30 ml Jigger One small side (25 ml) of a standard jigger, plus a teaspoon. Sweet vermouth
  • 60 ml Jigger One large side (50 ml) of a standard jigger, plus two teaspoons. Sparkling wine - Prosecco is traditional; anything dry and fizzy works
  • 1 slice Orange slice (optional)

Measured in Millilitres (UK). Sign in to read these in American measures. Print a kitchen card at this size.

What the jigger, the spoons and the jug hold, in millilitres and in fluid ounces, is on the measures reference.

Quick version

  • Build over ice in a rocks glass and top with sparkling wine.

Method

  1. Fill a large rocks glass with ice.
  2. Pour in the Campari and the sweet vermouth and give it a stir.
  3. Top with sparkling wine and stir once more, gently, to keep the bubbles.
  4. Add a slice of orange.

Serve it

  • Glass
    Rocks glass with ice
  • Garnish
    Orange slice
  • Base
    Gin
  • Negroni Sbagliato

    "Sbagliato" means mistaken or botched, and the story from Bar Basso in Milan is that a bartender reached for the gin and picked up the prosecco instead. Rather than admit it, he served it, and it was so good that the mistake became the recipe. It is the only cocktail famous for being wrong.

    Getting it right

    Everything here is about temperature and bubbles. Chill the glass, chill the wine, and use plenty of ice so the drink does not dilute while you are still holding it. Pour the wine last and stir once - a sbagliato that has been stirred properly is a flat sbagliato, and there is nothing sadder.

    Tasting notes

    Bitter orange and red fruit, lighter and more refreshing than its cousin, with the sparkle carrying the bitterness away cleanly. It is the drink to open an evening with, and at roughly half the strength of a Negroni it is the one you can have two of.

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