Few drinks wear their name as aptly as the Negroni Sbagliato—literally, the “mistaken Negroni.” A cocktail born of error, and yet, proof that sometimes a slip of the hand can lead to something enduring. Decades later, this beloved twist continues to capture the spirit of its birthplace and the charm of its accidental beginnings.
The Origins of a Misstep
To trace the roots of the Sbagliato, we journey back to Milan, 1972. The city is in motion, elegant and industrial all at once. On the outer edge of its historic core, not quite central, not quite suburban, sits Bar Basso. Originally opened in 1933 in another neighborhood, it moved to Via Plinio after the war—about two kilometers, as the crow flies, from the Duomo.
In 1967, founder Giuseppe Basso passed the torch to a Venetian bartender named Mirko Stocchetto. Trained in the glamorous settings of Piazza San Marco and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Stocchetto had shaken drinks for aristocrats and film stars. With Bar Basso, he found his own stage—one where he could mix, invent, and leave his mark. Then came 1972, and with it, the cocktail that would make history.
Sbagliato, the Moment Everything Went Slightly Wrong
As told by Mirko’s son, Maurizio Stocchetto, in an interview with Coqtail – for fine drinkers (March 2025 issue), the Sbagliato was born on a spring afternoon like any other. Mirko stood behind the bar, pouring drinks with the ease of routine. A customer requested a Negroni. Without looking, Mirko reached for his trio of go-to bottles—vermouth, bitter, and gin—always arranged in the same order.
But not that day. Someone, identity still unknown, had moved the gin and replaced it with a bottle of sparkling wine. Mirko noticed the swap just in time. Yet instead of correcting the course, instinct took over. “Let’s try something lighter,” he told the customer. “Something better suited to the warm weather.”
And so, the Negroni Sbagliato came to life: same proportions, same method, same orange garnish—but a radically different personality. The gin was gone, replaced by effervescent brut spumante. The result was gentler, more playful—and unexpectedly perfect. “We never pushed it,” recalls Maurizio. “It took off on its own.”
Sbagliato, The Recipe for a Classic Mistake
At Bar Basso, the Sbagliato is served in one of their signature glasses—custom-designed by Mirko Stocchetto himself. One of them, a towering 30-centimeter creation, is even on display at the Triennale Design Museum. But for those shaking it up at home, a traditional Old Fashioned glass will do just fine.
Ingredients
- 30 ml brut sparkling wine
- 30 ml red vermouth
- 30 ml bitter
Method
Fill a glass with ice cubes. Pour in the bitter, then the vermouth, and finally the sparkling wine. Stir gently with a bar spoon—just enough to combine without disturbing the wine’s delicate bubbles.
Garnish
A slice of orange.
Images credits Julie Couder for Coqtail, all rights reserved
