In Italian, sbagliato means “mistake,” so a Negroni sbagliato (or, simply, a sbagliato, as the drink is classically known) is a riff on the Negroni cocktail that came about “by accident.” A classic Negroni traditionally comprises equal parts gin, sweet vermouth, and bittersweet Campari; supposedly, a bartender invented this effervescent version in Milan in 1972 at Bar Basso when he mistakenly grabbed a bottle of sparkling wine instead of gin. If you’ve dined out or visited a cocktail bar in the US since October 2022, you’ve likely seen—or sipped—your share of the aperitif spritz.
We can thank a viral TikTok from HBO for that. “In that video, Emma D’Arcy, star of House of the Dragon, told their costar Olivia Cooke that their drink of choice was a ‘Negroni…sbagliato…with prosecco in it.’ The pauses were pregnant; the eye contact was intense; and the internet lost its damn mind,” writes BA restaurant editor Elazar Sontag.
A bottle of prosecco is the expected choice for this Italian cocktail, but cava or any inexpensive dry sparkling wine will do (save the Champagne for a more delicate French 75). Of course, you could also continue the tradition and trade it out for something else altogether: The team at Torrisi in New York uses fruity Lambrusco for the bubbles, garnishing the drink with a juicy orange slice. A finishing splash of soda water keeps the cocktail refreshing and not too sweet.