Negroni Sbagliato

I expect you have had some bad experiences with builders. Cobby found that they had built the fireplace off-centre in his drawing room. (He is the sort of person that could never have a lounge or a sitting room.)

The builder agreed that he’d made a mistake. “Ah well, you should always make a feature out of a fuck-up” he said philosophically and that is how a Negroni Sbagliato was invented. In case you aren’t fluent in Italian “sbagliato” means C C-U (complete cock-up). The barman started building (cocktails are built, drinks are poured) a Negroni but absent-mindedly put in prosecco instead of gin and there you are. Is it any good? Haven’t a clue as I like a high octane Negroni. Another variation that I would like to try is a white Negroni made from gin, Lillet blanc, and Suze.

An innovation in clubland, at least in my club and at the Garrick, is the introduction of small wooden casks of premixed Negroni. The club badge is displayed on the end of the cask. It is popular in my club. One barman told me that he had served fifteen that evening. If you’d like to have a ready-mixed Negroni at home it is sold at Waitrose.

All you need is an orange; add a slice as garnish. By the way the only reason that an orange garnish is used is to differentiate a Negroni from an Americano which has a slice of lemon. My sister does something similar. She puts lemon in gin and tonic and cucumber in vodka and tonic so they don’t get muddled up.

The last time I drank Suze was in the Gers where I am going this afternoon.