Negroni Sbagliato (Incorrect Negroni)

The social media sensation cocktail was invented in Milan 50 years ago.

Negroni Sbagliato origin story

During a TV interview in 2022, actor Emma D’Arcy of HBO’s House of Dragon, talked about their favorite drink, Negroni Sbagliato, translated to Incorrect Negroni. The cocktail, originated at Bar Basso in the early 70’s by owner Mirko Stochetto. The story goes that Mirko was making a Negroni when he accidently grabbed a bottle or Prosecco instead of gin. Adding the Prosecco, he accidently made the first Negroni Sbagliato.

This story has been repeated all over social media to the point where it is accepted as gospel. However, it’s not the whole story.

Mirko’s son and current Bar Basso owner, Maurizio Stochetto says calling his father’s invention incorrect is, in itself, incorrect.

Maurizio says an employee had accidently placed a bottle of Prosecco where the gin should have been. His father grabbed what he thought was the gin bottle and immediately saw the mistake. However, since it was a beautiful day in Milan, Mirko thought “why not” and added the Prosecco instead of the gin.

So, it wasn’t a mistake in the sense that Mirko didn’t know what he was doing, instead, a happy coincidence caused him to try a new experiment which has become a legendary cocktail.

Where to get Negroni Sbagliato

Bar Basso sells tons of Negroni Sbagliato in their fashionable bar and it’s a great place to get one. Their menu features lots of other cocktails they’ve invented including the Rossini, a spin on the Bellini made with Prosecco and strawberries.

Other bars all over Milan now offer Negroni Sbagliato. On the other end of the fashion spectrum is Bar Picchio, a hole in the wall in the bohemian, LGBT-friendly Venezia neighborhood. Bar Picchio has cheap and tasty Negroni Sbagliato served in a plastic cup. And, they’re right across the street from a terrific African restaurant, Warsa, serving delicious Eritrean cuisine.

About the Author

Brent Petersen is the Editor-in-Chief of Destination Eat Drink. He currently resides in Setubal, Portugal. Brent has written the novel “Truffle Hunt” (Eckhartz Press) and the short story collection “That Bird.” He’s also written dozens of foodie travel guides to cities around the world on Destination Eat Drink, including in-depth eating and drinking guides to the Cinque Terre, Amalfi Coast, Naples, Palermo, Turin, and Ortigia in Italy. Brent’s podcast, also called Destination Eat Drink, is available on all major podcasting platforms and is distributed by the Radio Misfits Podcast Network.