The Negroni Sbagliato recipe
for your table
Fill a tumbler with one large ice cube or plenty of ice cubes.
Pour the Campari and vermouth over it and stir briefly.
Top with the prosecco and stir very gently one more time.
Garnish with half an orange wheel.
What did you think of this recipe?
One click on a star is enough. If you’d like to add something, we’ll review it before it appears here.
Save this recipe
Send the Negroni Sbagliato recipe to your own email so you’ll have it on hand when you’re ready to make it. You’ll also receive a €5 discount code for purchases from €50, valid on the glasses that go with it.
The story
Bar Basso, Milan, 1970s. Bartender Mirko Stocchetto was busy, reached for the gin bottle but accidentally grabbed the spumante next to it. The guest loved the result, so Stocchetto honestly called his mistake “sbagliato,” Italian for “wrong,” and added it to the menu. Bar Basso still serves it in enormous signature glasses to this day. When actress Emma D'Arcy named the Sbagliato as their favorite drink in a 2022 interview, search interest exploded worldwide and the happy accident enjoyed a second youth.
The right glass
In Milan, the Sbagliato is served in a large, sturdy glass. Bar Basso even uses a half aquarium. At home, a generous 35 to 38 cl tumbler works perfectly: low and wide like for the regular Negroni, with room for ice and bubbles. If you want to make it more festive, you can also serve it in a stemmed wine glass. Both choices are 'wrong in the right way'. If you prefer to serve it festively in a stemmed glass, take a look at our wine glasses.
RCR Alkemist Tumbler 38 cl (6 pieces)
Eclat Longchamp Tumbler 23 cl (6 pieces)
Both sets together € 63,90.
The right tools
For a Negroni Sbagliato, besides the glass, you use a bar spoon for stirring, a jigger for precise measuring and large ice cubes. These are the bar tools we use ourselves; you can find everything in our bar tools & cocktail sets.
Glassware set (our choice 01) + 3 bar tools together € 78,80.
What do you use to make a Negroni Sbagliato?
For a Negroni Sbagliato, you need the right base. Well-known bottles include Campari. On each drink page, you can read the alcohol percentage, what it tastes like, which cocktails it works in and which glass you need.
Variations & twists
Using white port instead of vermouth makes it softer; adding an orange slice and zest makes it extra aromatic. At Bar Basso, it's served with a gigantic ice cube in an enormous glass; at home, you can recreate it with one large cube. The 'mistake' also handles an extra splash of soda perfectly well. Looking for more inspiration? Browse more than 100 cocktail recipes.
Servingtip
Pour the prosecco last and stir barely at all. The bubbles are the whole point of this 'mistake.' It's also delicious as a light aperitif for anyone who finds a regular Negroni too strong.
Good to know
What does sbagliato mean
Sbagliato is Italian for wrong or botched, referring to the way this cocktail came about. At Bar Basso in Milan, bartender Mirko Stocchetto reached for the wrong bottle in the late 1960s and poured prosecco instead of gin into the Campari and vermouth. The guest didn't complain, and the mistake got a name. It's pronounced sbal-yah-toh, with the stress on the third syllable. Since the cocktail went viral on social media in 2022, it has appeared on virtually every Dutch menu.
The difference from the classic Negroni
Only the third component changes: 3 cl prosecco instead of 3 cl gin, with the same 3 cl Campari and 3 cl red vermouth around it. That one ingredient changes everything. While the Negroni comes out at around 22 percent in the glass, the Sbagliato stays at approximately 11, and the bubbles lift the bitterness instead of weighing it down. You also stir it differently: twenty seconds for a Negroni, here no more than half a turn, otherwise you lose exactly the fizz it's all about.
Which prosecco do you choose
Choose a dry prosecco labeled brut or extra dry and make sure the bottle is ice-cold, around four degrees. A sweet spumante makes the whole thing sticky alongside the sugar already in the Campari and vermouth. Cava works too, as long as it's brut, and champagne would be a waste because its delicate yeasty notes disappear beneath the bitterness. Only open the bottle once the rest is in the glass and pour along the inside edge. Half a 37.5 cl bottle is exactly enough for twelve cocktails.
How much alcohol compared with a Negroni
Prosecco is around 11 percent, while gin is 40 to 47. Swap them, and the strength is cut in half: while a classic Negroni comes out at around 22 percent in the glass, the Sbagliato ends up at 11 to 12 percent. That makes it an aperitif you can have two of without throwing off the evening, and it explains why it is often served early in the evening in Italy. In terms of calories, the difference is smaller than you might expect, because the sugar from Campari and vermouth remains.
Frequently asked questions
What is a Negroni Sbagliato?
The Negroni Sbagliato is a Negroni in which prosecco takes the place of gin: 3 cl Campari, 3 cl sweet red vermouth, and 3 cl prosecco over plenty of ice, with half an orange slice. Lighter, fresher, and bubbly, it originated from a mistake at Bar Basso in Milan.
What is in a Negroni?
The classic Negroni consists of equal parts gin, Campari, and sweet red vermouth, so 3 cl of each. In the Sbagliato version, you replace only the gin with 3 cl of prosecco; the other two ingredients remain exactly the same. Both are served in a low, wide tumbler.
What does sbagliato mean?
Sbagliato is Italian for wrong or botched. In the 1970s, Bar Basso bartender Mirko Stocchetto reached for the gin bottle but grabbed the spumante standing next to it. He honestly called his mistake sbagliato and added it to the menu, where it never disappeared.
Which glass do you use for a Negroni Sbagliato?
A generous 35 to 38 cl tumbler is ideal: low and wide, with room for plenty of ice and bubbles. If you want to make it more festive, you can also serve it in a stemmed wine glass. Both choices are perfectly fine; see our old fashioned glasses.
Everything for your bar,
to one address
Glasses in hospitality quality, delivered by the set. Order today, delivered quickly.
Shop the glasses →