Ingredients
The drink
- 30 mlCampari
- or another red bitter
- 30 mlsweet red vermouth
- 60 mldry sparkling wine
- prosecco or spumante, well chilled
To serve
- a large ice cube
- or several
- a half slice of orange
- a rocks glass
Directions
- Adjust it all to your own taste. Sweet red vermouth is what this needs. Use the largest ice cube you have. One gentle turn of it is enough.
- Warm sparkling wine foams over the glass. It must be properly cold throughout. Put the rocks glass in the freezer. Give it about ten full minutes. Put the ice into the chilled glass.
- Pour the Campari over the ice. Pour the vermouth in after it. Top it up with the sparkling wine.
- Pour it slowly down the side of the glass. A slow pour down the glass side keeps them. Take a moment over the whole pour.
- Pour a little and let it settle. Finishing it is straightforward enough. Add a half slice of fresh orange. Squeeze it lightly over the surface first. Judging it takes a careful taste.
- Add more sparkling wine for a longer drink. Add more bitter for a sharper one. Serving it is always done immediately.
- Serve it while it is still fizzing. It loses its bubbles within minutes.
Technique
- Swapping gin for sparkling wine cuts the strength substantially — gin is around forty percent alcohol against eleven or twelve for sparkling wine — so it is a genuinely lighter drink than a Negroni. It is still alcoholic, though, since Campari and vermouth both contain alcohol; lighter is not the same as weak.
- Vermouth is wine and it oxidises: an open bottle deteriorates over weeks and should be refrigerated and used within a month. Stale vermouth makes a flat dull drink, and it is the commonest fault in these.
- Stir the Campari and vermouth together before the sparkling wine goes in, then pour the wine slowly down the side of the glass and do not stir again — pouring fast or stirring afterwards knocks the bubbles out.
Substitutions
- Any red bitter stands in for Campari, though they vary in sweetness and the drink adjusts around them.
- Some bars keep all three equal for a stronger sharper drink rather than doubling the sparkling wine; both are served.
Variations
- Sbagliato means mistaken, recording the accident at Bar Basso in Milan when a barman reached for spumante instead of gin.
- Use the largest ice you have, since a big cube melts slowly and keeps the drink cold without watering it.
- Squeeze the orange slice lightly over the surface before adding it, which releases the oil from the peel.
History
Made by mistake at Bar Basso in Milan in the 1970s when a barman grabbed spumante instead of gin.
Frequently asked questions
What is Negroni Sbagliato?
Negroni Sbagliato is a cocktail from Italy: negroni with sparkling wine instead of gin, lighter and fizzy. Made by mistake at Bar Basso in Milan in the 1970s when a barman grabbed spumante instead of gin.
How long does Negroni Sbagliato take to make?
Negroni Sbagliato takes 3 minutes of preparation and no cooking at all. The recipe makes serves 1. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Negroni Sbagliato?
Yes, within limits. Any red bitter stands in for Campari, though they vary in sweetness and the drink adjusts around them. Some bars keep all three equal for a stronger sharper drink rather than doubling the sparkling wine; both are served.
What is the most important thing to get right in Negroni Sbagliato?
Warm sparkling wine foams over the glass. It must be properly cold throughout. Put the rocks glass in the freezer. Give it about ten full minutes. Put the ice into the chilled glass.
