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The Negroni Sbagliato is the Negroni that happened by accident. Sbagliato is Italian for “mistaken,” and the story goes that in the early 1970s Mirko Stocchetto was mixing a Negroni at Bar Basso in Milan when he grabbed a bottle of sparkling wine instead of gin. Rather than pour it out, he served it. Bar Basso has been making it ever since, and it has become one of the signature aperitivo drinks of Milan.
For decades it was mostly a bartender’s drink, known to people who had been to Milan or worked behind a serious bar. That changed in October 2022, when a short interview clip with House of the Dragon stars Emma D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke went viral. D’Arcy named it as their drink of choice, and bars across the US and UK were suddenly fielding orders for it. The interest has stuck, and in 2026 it made Drinks International’s list of the bestselling classic cocktails at the world’s best bars for the first time.
In the glass it keeps everything people love about a Negroni and lightens it up. Campari still leads with bitter orange and herbs, and the sweet vermouth adds a rich, spiced sweetness. Swapping gin for prosecco drops the strength and adds a lively fizz, so it lands somewhere between a Negroni and an Aperol Spritz. It is more bitter than the spritz and far gentler than the original, which makes it an easy drink before dinner.
Glass: Old fashioned glass | Strength: Light | Serves: 1 | Prep Time: 2 minutes
Bartenders tip: Build it right in the glass and add the sparkling wine last, with just one gentle stir so you keep the bubbles. Bar Basso uses a dry Italian spumante, and a brut prosecco is the easiest stand-in. Skip bottles labeled “extra dry,” which are actually sweeter than brut. A good sweet vermouth matters here, since there is no gin to hide behind.
Steps
- Fill an old fashioned glass with ice.
- Add the Campari and sweet vermouth and stir briefly.
- Top with the prosecco and give it one gentle stir.
- Garnish with an orange slice and serve.
