Today I would like to catch up (in a relatively short article) on something that I have missed for far too long: Since I have presented classics of the cocktail history here in the blog again and again (meanwhile a lot of them can be found in the archives of Galumbi – Drinks & More), it is finally time to also take a closer look at the Negroni Sbagliato. Since the Negroni (together with the Mint Julep) is my all-time favourite among drinks, it might be surprising that the Negroni Sbagliato hasn’t been mentioned here yet.

And indeed, my personal contact with the Negroni Sbagliato is also a relatively late one. I actually drank my first Negroni more than 20 years ago at Lake Garda (at that time the drink was simply too much for me), while I had my first Negroni Sbagliato more than 12 years later in a restaurant. I ordered a Negroni but got a Negroni Sbagliato. So basically my first contact was the result of a mistake made by the waiter; but one I was very happy about.

And it’s basically the same with the history of the cocktail itself, which is also the result of an accident (at least that’s how it is told): In 1972 Mirko Stocchetto accidentally poured a Prosecco instead of a gin into a Negroni in the Bar Basso in Milan – and the result was delightful! “Sbagliato” means “wrong or false” in Italian and today the “False Negroni” has become an institution of its own.

After I recently reviewed the Vermouth Rosso de Mayo Giovannoni and was very impressed by its authentic red wine characteristics, I have now also prepared a Negroni Sbagliato with it and I was thrilled! When preparing the drink, it is important to choose a Prosecco Spumante and not a Frizzante (the latter are artificially carbonated).

Recipe “Negroni Sbagliato”:

4.5 cl Prosecco Spumante
2.5 cl Campari
2.5 cl red vermouth

Preparation: First pour Campari and vermouth into a glass filled with solid ice cubes and stir. Finally top with Prosecco and stir carefully once or twice. Finally, optionally spray with the oil of an orange zest.

Glass: Tumbler

Garnish: orange zest

Buying sources: At specialized retailers or online