Italian Cocktails: Introducing The Negroni Sbagliato Spritz

This is what I consider to to be the last gasp of summer when we still may get some 80 degree days in the Northeast. We sit outside watching the grass green up again and await the changing of the leaves. For these moments I will still enjoy my favorite summer cocktail- a Negroni Sbagliato Spritz. In Italian, spagliato means “mistake.” Legend has it that a bartender reached for sparkling wine instead of gin and this happy mistake was discovered. He must have been two sheets to the wind himself to confuse the two, but mistakes are what make life exciting.  The drink is lighter than when made with gin so you can afford to have another. Enjoy!

Adapted from Spritz: Italy’s Most Iconic Aperitif Cocktail, with Recipes by Talia Baiocchi and Leslie Pariseau

Preparation:

1. Fill a tumbler with a handful of ice.
2. Add the Campari, vermouth, and prosecco to the glass. Stir gently, then garnish with an orange half-wheel.