Sbagliato

A bubbly Italian aperitivo that swaps the Negroni's gin for sparkling Prosecco, creating a lighter, more refreshing take on the classic bitter-sweet formula.

The Negroni Sbagliato was born at Bar Basso on Via Plinio in Milan, the bar that Venetian bartender Mirko Stocchetto took over from founder Giuseppe Basso in 1967. Stocchetto had trained at Harry's Bar in Venice and worked the hotel circuit in Cortina d'Ampezzo before bringing his skills to Milan during the era of the Italian economic boom. During a busy aperitivo service — the family date is 1972, though 1968 also appears in historical accounts — Stocchetto reached for gin to make a Negroni and poured prosecco instead. He recognized the mistake but chose to serve the drink, quietly telling his guest he was offering a softer, lighter take on the classic. The Italian word sbagliato, meaning mistaken, gave the accidental creation its permanent name. Bar Basso has served it ever since in comically oversized hand-blown glasses that have themselves become part of the Milan aperitivo experience. For decades the Sbagliato was known primarily to Bar Basso regulars and Milan insiders. In October 2022 a widely shared TikTok video featuring House of the Dragon actors Emma D'Arcy and Olivia Cooke discussing the drink launched it into global consciousness almost overnight, making it one of the most searched cocktails of that year and introducing an entirely new generation to both the drink and the bar that made it.