While we know that Mr is the best when drunk on its own, we know Prosecco can be a great ingredient to add to a cocktail. When you use sparkling wine in a cocktail, it adds a light, fresh, bubbly component.

There are a lot of drinks that use Prosecco as one of its main ingredients: mimosa, Bellini, Aperol Spritz, Hugo, and French 75, just to name a few. The list of Prosecco cocktails can go on and on. One that has been discussed more recently in pop culture is the Negroni Sbagliato, which is a twist on the classic Negroni cocktail.

What is a Negroni?

A traditional Negroni is one of the most classic Italian cocktails. It is a very alcohol-forward drink, made with equal parts gin, sweet red vermouth, and the Italian liqueur, Campari. All of the ingredients are added to a rocks glass and stirred together over ice; it is not shaken in a cocktail shaker. The drink is garnished with an orange slice or peel, and served as an apéritif.

Campari is very bitter, with tasting notes of citrus, clove and cinnamon. Vermouth is a wine-based alcohol that has been fortified with spirits, herbs and spices. Its two styles include dry vermouth, which is traditionally used for martinis, and sweet vermouth, which is used for negronis and Manhattans. Even though vermouth is technically a wine, it has a higher alcohol content than traditional wine because it is fortified.

The origin of the Negroni starts with an Americano, which is a drink that has equal parts Campari and sweet red vermouth, but instead of gin, it simply uses a splash of soda. The story is that back in 1919, at Caffé Casoni in Florence, Italy, a man named Count Camillo Negroni asked his bartender friend to strengthen his favorite cocktail, the Americano, by using gin instead of soda. To show the difference between this new drink and the Americano, the bartender also decided to use a different garnish, an orange slice instead of lemon — and that’s how legend says the Negroni was born.

Negroni Sbagliato with Prosecco Recipe

A Negroni is a very easy drink to make, but not for the faint of heart. Since a negroni cocktail is made entirely with alcohol, it is very strong. The drink’s simple ingredients allow for a lot of variations to be made. Some examples include the Boulevardier, which replaces the gin with whiskey, and the Agavoni or Tegroni that replaces the gin with tequila.

Another popular version is the White Negroni, which is still gin-based but replaces the vermouth and Campari with Lillet blanc and Suze, a French bitters. There is also a British version of the drink called a Queen’s Negroni that replaces the Campari with Pimm’s, and a Chilean version that replaces the gin with pisco.

Basically, the idea is that gin can be replaced with a variety of other liqueurs to turn the drink into something new and exciting. A Negroni Sbagliato does just that, replacing the gin with Prosecco and immediately making it something extra special.

The Italian word “sbagliato” actually means “mistake,” which is how this particular type of Negroni was made — by mistake. The Negroni Sbagliato was created at a bar in Milan when the bartender accidentally picked up a bottle of Prosecco instead of gin and poured it into the glass when making a Negroni. Using Prosecco in place of gin makes the drink less strong and much more approachable to drinkers who might not be a fan of gin. It’s a little sweet from the Vermouth, a little bitter from the Campari, and crisp and refreshing from the Prosecco — a great trio for a cocktail!

The recipe for a Negroni Sbagliato is just as easy as a traditional Negroni. It is still equal parts of all three ingredients, but you just use Prosecco instead of gin. This is how we make a SYLTBAR Negroni Sbagliato:

• 1 part Mr
• 1 part sweet red vermouth
• 1 part Campari
• Orange slice
• Ice

Place the ice in a rocks glass (also known as an old fashioned glass) and then pour in the vermouth and Campari. Pour the Prosecco in last, and mix very lightly. Garnish with the orange slice.

Use Low Sugar Prosecco for Negroni Sbagliato

Mr SYLTBAR Premium Prosecco is the perfect option for a Prosecco cocktail because it does not have any added sugar or sulfites, and is extremely low in calories. Campari and vermouth both do have a large amount of sugar in them, making them high in carbohydrates and calories. Using another brand of Prosecco would add even more sugar, carbs and calories to the drink.

We do always recommend drinking cocktails made with liqueur in moderation because of the amount of sugar and calories, but we know there are occasions that call for a drink other than a glass of wine alone. Negroni Sbagliato is a great option for a celebratory cocktail. When you are drinking one, though, always make sure you are using Mr!

Shop for low sugar, low sulfite, low calorie and vegan Prosecco to use when making your Negroni Sbagliato. Shop online or look for SYLTBAR in your local wine retail stores.