Lockdown Libations no. 19: Sbagliato

Generally, TikTok is bad for me. I’ve lost far too many hours to that app over the course of the pandemic, watching mostly silly, sometimes funny, generally inane videos, often to the point where the app pops up with this whole “Whoa, you’ve been on here too long — go take a break!” message.

But, the algorithm is good. And that means I get a lot of great body positive content, fat women showing off amazing outfits and solid recipes. Like this one for a Sbagliato.

Sbagliato

The Italian word for ‘mistake’ or ‘mess up,’ the story goes this cocktail originated when a busy bartender accidentally swapped the gin in a Negroni for sparkling wine. Given how different those bottles tend to be, I’m not sure how that could happen. But, then again, I make one cocktail at a time. For just myself (Hello, COVID-19 safety measures). So…

Sbagliato I

I can honestly say, I quite like this cocktail. It’s all the bitter and hint of sweet from a Negroni or Boulevardier but without the boozy heaviness. This is the kind of cocktail I want on a sunny patio. With a plate of charcuterie and some olives. (Ignore the fact it is snowing as I type this.) I can see some lovely summer afternoons on my balcony sipping a double Sbagliato (three ounces is not much, especially given one-third is sparkling wine) as the weather warms.

Cin cin.

Sweet vermouth and Campari

Mixing a Sbagliato

Sbagliato II

Sbagliato III

Sbagliato

  • 1 ounce sweet vermouth
  • 1 ounce Campari
  • 1 ounce prosecco
  • orange wheel to garnish, optional (because, like, I never have these garnishes)

To a glass filled with ice, add sweet vermouth, Campari and prosecco. Stir gently to combine and garnish with orange wheel — if you have one.

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Lockdown Libations no. 13: Negronino

Just like with the Averna Amaro, I have a bottle of Amaro Nonino for making a specific cocktail: my beloved Paper Plane.

And, while I could (and have) used an entire bottle for just making those, I wondered what else Nonino — a liqueur made from grappa and grain alcohol that is infused with herbs and spices and is aged in oak barrels — could work with.

Hello Negroni hybrid!

The Negronino (and bless, I love a good portmanteau) is essentially a Negroni (equal parts gin, Campari and sweet vermouth), but with Amaro Nino replacing half portions of both the Campari and vermouth. (I did spot one recipe that started to get into even more fractured measures and… no. I’m good at math, but there is a line.)

Negronino ingredients

I like a Negroni for its boozy bitterness. It’s a slower sipper for me, which serves me well when I want to really savour a cocktail. I may prefer a Boulevardier, which is the same ingredients and proportions, but swaps bourbon for gin. But either way, this seemed an intriguing cocktail worth the experiment.

I’d probably have a more thorough discussion of the nuanced differences between the Negronino and a standard Negroni if I sipped back to back. Perhaps that’s an experiment I will shelve for a future date. Watch this space?

This is a smoother sip and, consequently, was consumed a little more quickly. Not a complaint, just a fact. There is a … roundness? to this cocktail that I quite like.

If you don’t have a bottle of Amaro Nonino and felt your collection could handle one more addition, I think it’s a good liqueur to have on hand — both for this cocktail, which will be folded into the regular rotation and for the Paper Plane. If you haven’t tried that, may I please recommend? Truly, one of my absolute favourites. And that’s saying a lot.

Negronino III

Negronino II

Negronino

  • 1 ounce gin (a London dry variety of your choice)
  • 1 ounce Amaro Nonino
  • 1/2 ounce Campari
  • 1/2 ounce sweet vermouth
  • orange peel, to garnish

Add ice to an Old-Fashioned glass. Pour in gin, Nonino, Campari and vermouth. Stir well to chill. Garnish with orange peel.*

*Which I didn’t have, so didn’t.

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