The Sbagliato
17 August 2025
What is better than day drinking? Maybe a summer cocktail, followed by a breezy, warm nap.
The Negroni is an Italian cocktail conceived in 1919 by Count Camillo Negroni, made with equal parts Campari, gin, and sweet vermouth. Its consistent popularity in recent years has elevated its status to that of a Martini or an Old Fashioned as a cocktail standard.
The Negroni Sbagliato, or simply Sbagliato was a happy accident when a Milanese bartender in the 1970s inadvertently reached for a Prosecco bottle rather than gin. The lighter, more effervescent iteration was affectionately called a Sbagliato - the Italian word for ‘wrong’. It has become a summer staple, rivaling the Aperol and other spritzes, but with a more intense flavor profile and higher alcohol content.
Here are classic, tested, and enjoyed recipes for all five perennial cocktails - with a few suggestions, all perfect for day drinking:
NEGRONI -
1 part Campari
1 part London Dry Gin
1 part sweet vermouth
square ice cubes
orange twist
lowball glass
Add liquid ingredients over ice, stir gently, add twist. Cocchi Vermouth di Torino is a nice vermouth choice with Broker’s or Beefeater Dry Gin as a combo. Hendrick’s and Punt e Mas is also a tasty marriage with Campari.
SBAGLIATO -
1 part Campari
1 part brut Processo
1 part sweet vermouth
square ice cubes
orange peel for garnish
lowball glass
Pour liquid ingredients over ice, stir gently, add garnish. Your favorite Prosecco is a good balance to the sweetness and intensity of the other ingredients. It’s a good idea to chill all ingredients prior to preparation.
APEROL SPRITZ -
3 parts brut Prosecco
2 parts Aperol
1 part soda water or sparkling water
standard ice cubes
orange slice for garnish
white wine glass
The Aperol Spritz classic ratio is 3-2-1 (prosecco, Aperol, fizzy water). Fill glass with small ice, then pour liquid ingredients over the ice. Chill all ingredients prior to preparation. Consider Club Soda instead of sparkling or soda water as the salt content enhances the flavor. An orange slice is the perfect aromatic garnish.
MARTINI -
3 parts London Dry Gin
1 part dry vermouth
1 dash orange bitters
Lemon twist or olive for garnish
Nick and Nora glass or coupe
ice, mixing glass, stirrer, strainer
Stir liquid ingredients over ice for about a minute or until chilled in mixing glass, then strain into preferred glassware. Classic Tanguery or Beefeater London Dry Gin with Dolin Dry Vermouth, and Regan’s Orange bitters are a perfect, classic Martini - with a lemon twist for aroma and garnish. Chilled ingredients and glasses are required. A coupe or Nick and Nora glass make navigating a sip easier than a ‘martini glass’, especially after the first or second.
OLD-FASHIONED -
2 ounces rye or bourbon
2 dashes Angostura Bitters
5 ml simple syrup or one sugar cube
1 ice sphere per glass
orange twist
Old-Fashioned glass (lowball)
The Whiskey Cocktail, which was also known as the Old-Fashioned Whiskey Cocktail, and then just Old-Fashioned. It is an uncomplicated drink, built in glass with whiskey (rye or bourbon), sugar, bitters, and a citrus twist - lemon or orange. If using a sugar cube, muddle with bitters until dissolved. A singular round ice sphere is preferred as melting time tends to be slower.
