What Is the Negroni Sbagliato Cocktail

There’s just something about a Negroni. In 2020, in the early days of the pandemic, actor Stanley Tucci took the internet by storm with a viral video explaining the ins and outs of making the iconic Italian cocktail, and now fans are wowing one more time another iteration of the bittersweet drink, courtesy of a video of a TikTok video by house of the dragon Stars Emma D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke talk about their favorite drinks.

In response to the question “What is your favorite drink?” D’Arcy immediately replies, “A Negroni.” Cooke agrees, saying, “That’s what I was going to say,” to which D’Arcy adds, “Sbagliato. With Prosecco in it.”

While Cooke continues to uphold the virtues of a classic gin martini, it’s the sbagliato (and much-discussed chemistry between the actors) that has captured the online imagination. So what is a Negroni sbagliato?

The term ‘sbagliato’ roughly translates to ‘mistake’ or ‘wrong’, and legend has it that it’s an accidental creation made by someone who mistakenly bittered Prosecco for the gin in a traditional equal parts Negroni complement Campari liqueur, sweet vermouth and gin. (It’s worth noting that the Negroni itself was reportedly created as a more boisterous riff on the classic Americano cocktail — a blend of Campari, sweet vermouth, and soda water — making the Negroni sbagliato a lot closer to an Americano twist than a Negroni, but I digress away.)

Like its Negroni predecessor, one of the beauties of a sbagliato is that it’s an equal parts drink, meaning both making one (or two, or five) and memorizing the recipe to recall later is a breeze . To prepare, simply mix 30ml each of Campari and sweet vermouth in a mixing glass with ice and stir to cool. Strain into a glass of your choice (some prefer to serve a Negroni Sbagliato in a flute like a champagne cocktail, others choose it over ice) and top up with 30ml of Prosecco. Stir gently to combine and enjoy.

The sbagliato may be the latest iteration to sweep the nation, but it proves once again that a classic cocktail like the Negroni never really goes out of style. After all, another Negroni variant, the Clint, was reportedly Jackie Kennedy’s favorite cocktail.

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