Why everyone is talking about Negroni sbagliato — and how to make your own

Move over, Aperol spritz. The reign of Negroni sbagliato has just begun.

The cocktail — made with Campari, sweet vermouth, and sparkling wine instead of the traditional gin — has taken over social media, thanks to a behind-the-scenes interview promoting House of the Dragon on HBO's TikTok account.

In the clip, stars Emma D'Arcy and Olivia Cooke — who play the feuding Princess Rhaenyra and Queen Alicent respectively — are asking each other about their drink of choice in real life.

D'Arcy, who's nonbinary, says they prefer a Negroni, before adding "sbagliato" in their signature breathy voice. The actor then raises their eyebrows, leans in closer, and flirtatiously explains that it means "with prosecco in it."

Cooke responds with an enthralled "Ooh, stunning."

The interaction immediately went viral, especially among queer fans.

Bars are getting flooded with orders

More than 15,000 TikTok videos have been posted using the original sound from the D'Arcy and Cooke interview, racking up millions of views.

Now, social media is full of people promising to rush to their local bar to order a "Negroni sbagliato with prosecco in it." Mixologists and lifestyle accounts are sharing recipes.

And bartenders are joking about needing to stock up on ingredients before there's a shortage (which has happened before when other TikTok recipes went viral, with ingredients such as Kewpie mayo and feta cheese).

But the meme is a bit of a misnomer

While fans will forever know the meme as "Negroni... sbagliato... with prosecco in it," that's not how someone would usually order it.

Sbagliato means "mistaken" or "broken" in Italian — a reference to substituting the gin in a traditional Negroni for sparkling wine. So saying "with prosecco" is redundant.

You can just order it as a sbagliato, experts say. Here's an example of how to pronounce it.

How to make your own mistake

If you want to give the sbagliato a whirl from the comfort of your own home — perhaps this Sunday while you're watching House of the Dragon — here's what you'll need.

The cocktail itself is simple. You'll need three ingredients: Campari, sweet vermouth and prosecco. Some recipes suggest an equal 1:1:1 ratio, but you may want to adjust to your personal taste.

A quick recipe:

1. Add ice to your glass.

2. Pour in 1.5 oz of sweet vermouth.

3. Add 1.5 oz of Campari and stir.

4. Top off your glass with prosecco.

5. Add a slice of orange for garnish, if you're so inclined.

6. Get in there and make Emma proud.

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

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