Nigella Lawson Negroni Sbagliato

Nigella Lawson’s negroni sbagliato is a bubbly “mistaken” negroni, made with prosecco in place of gin, mixed with Campari and red vermouth and served by the pitcher. It makes 6 glasses, from her book At My Table.

The classic negroni is Campari, red vermouth and gin; this bubbly version swaps prosecco for the gin. It’s said to have been created by happy accident at the Bar Basso in Milan in the ’60s. “Sbagliato” means mistaken in Italian, so it translates roughly as Messed-Up Negroni.

Nigella messes it up further in two ways: she tweaks the usual equal-parts proportions to suit her taste, going heavier on the Campari, and she serves it in a pitcher with orange slices rather than mixing drinks one at a time, which makes it ideal for a crowd.

Nigella Lawson Negroni Sbagliato

Recipe by Pinch Perfect

5.0 from 1 vote

Course: DrinksCuisine: BritishDifficulty: Easy

Servings

6

servings

Prep time

5

minutes

Cooking timeminutes

Calories

170

kcal

Total time

5

minutes

Nigella’s bubbly “messed-up” negroni from At My Table: prosecco, Campari and red vermouth mixed in a pitcher with orange slices and poured over ice. Her favourite cocktail. Makes six.

Ingredients

• 1 x 750ml bottle prosecco (chilled)

• 325ml Campari

• 175ml best-quality red vermouth

Directions

• Chill:Make sure your prosecco is well chilled, and ideally keep the Campari and vermouth bottles in the fridge too.
• Mix and serve:Mix in a pitcher, throw in some orange slices, and pour into glasses with ice.

Notes

• (proportions): The original is equal parts of all three; Nigella deliberately changes the ratio, going heavier on the Campari for a more bitter drink. Adjust to taste.
• (make ahead / store): It’s not advisable to make ahead or store, as the prosecco’s fizz fades.

FAQs

What is a negroni sbagliato?

It’s a bubbly twist on the classic negroni. Where a classic negroni is equal parts Campari, red (sweet) vermouth and gin, the sbagliato swaps the gin for prosecco, making a lighter, fizzier, less boozy drink, somewhere between a negroni and a spritz. It’s bitter, bracing and bubbly all at once.

“Sbagliato” means mistaken or messed-up in Italian, and the drink is said to have been born by accident at the famous Bar Basso in Milan in the ’60s, when a bartender reached for sparkling wine instead of gin. The story may be apocryphal, as Nigella says, but it’s a happy mistake either way.

Why does Nigella change the proportions?

The traditional sbagliato uses equal parts of all three ingredients, but Nigella deliberately “messes it up” further to suit her own taste. Her ratio, a 750ml bottle of prosecco to 325ml Campari and 175ml vermouth, leans heavier on the Campari than the vermouth, giving a more pronounced bitter edge.

This is very much to preference, so it’s worth tasting and adjusting. If you find it too bitter, add more prosecco or a little more vermouth to sweeten and soften it; if you like it bracing, keep the Campari generous. There’s no single right ratio, which is part of the fun.

Why serve it in a pitcher instead of individual glasses?

It’s Nigella’s other “mistake”, and a practical one: making it by the pitcher rather than mixing drinks one at a time means you can serve a crowd effortlessly, without playing bartender all evening. It turns a cocktail into an easy, generous, help-yourself drink for a party.

Mix the Campari and vermouth with the prosecco in the jug, add orange slices, and pour over ice in the glasses. Add the prosecco as close to serving as you can so it keeps its fizz. It’s a brilliant, economical alternative to Champagne for Christmas or a gathering, as Nigella’s readers note.

What ingredients should I use?

Three things, and quality matters since there’s nowhere to hide. Use a good, dry prosecco (brut), well chilled, for clean fizz and acidity. Campari gives the signature bitter, herbal, ruby-red character, and Nigella specifies best-quality red (sweet) vermouth, such as a Carpano or Cocchi, for depth and balance.

Keep all three bottles in the fridge if you can, so the drink stays cold without over-relying on ice, which dilutes it. Orange slices in the pitcher aren’t optional garnish: the citrus lifts and rounds the bitter Campari. A twist of orange in each glass is lovely too.

What do I serve it with, and can I make a non-alcoholic version?

As an Italian aperitivo, it’s made for before dinner, with salty nibbles like olives, crisps or nuts, and goes beautifully with antipasti and sharing plates. Its bitterness whets the appetite. On a party table it suits something like Nigella’s devilled eggs or a bowl of caramelized garlic hummus.

For an alcohol-free version, use a non-alcoholic sparkling wine and a non-alcoholic bitter aperitif (several Campari-style ones now exist), keeping the orange and ice. It won’t be identical but captures the bittersweet, fizzy spirit. There are more entertaining ideas on the Nigella Lawson recipes page.

Can I make it ahead?

Not really, and Nigella advises against it. The prosecco is what gives the drink its life and fizz, and that quickly goes flat once mixed, so a sbagliato made too far ahead turns dull and lifeless. It’s best mixed just before serving.

What you can do is get everything ice-cold in advance and, if you like, combine the Campari and vermouth in the pitcher ahead of time, then add the chilled prosecco and orange slices at the last minute. That way it’s quick to pull together when guests arrive, while keeping all its sparkle.