new year’s resolution: negroni sbagliato

I was just chatting with my friend Jane, telling her how we’ve been going out to dinner too much. Eating too much. Drinking way too much. So I really didn’t want to have anything to drink tonight. And she said “Really?” Jane’s known me a long time.

I guess I’ll try to limit the cocktails to the weekends. Is that a good enough resolution? At least it might be one I’m more likely to follow.

Thank goodness it’s Saturday.

But maybe I really should try for some kind of lighter cocktail? I’ve been blogging this week about a few healthier pastas, here and here. So how about a healthy cocktail? One with a bit less of the hard stuff?

One of my favorite classic cocktails is a Negroni. That’s equal parts Campari, vermouth and gin. A whammy, I know. But in a good way.

So, my New Year’s resolution is to choose the Negroni Light. Or Sbagliato as it’s called here. Negroni Sbagliato means Mistaken Negroni. And in this case the bartender makes the mistake of switching in a much lighter dose of prosecco in place of the gin. See? It’s kind of like a Weight Watcher’s Negroni (at least that what I’m telling myself.)

One of my new favorite recent purchases was a 12-pack of mini bottles of prosecco I picked up at Metro (the Italian Costco). They are just perfect for making two or three of these drinks without cracking open a full-sized bottle. And while I usually use standard Martini & Rossi Rosso vermouth for a classic Negroni, for the Sbagliato I prefer Rosso Antico, which has a much more pronounced fruity flavor.






Negroni Sbagliato

1 ounce Campari
1 ounce Rosso Antico
2 ounces (more or less) prosecco

Pour Campari and Rosso Antico into a rocks glass. Fill with ice, and top up with Prosecco. Stir gently (you don’t want to make all the bubbles bubble away) and garnish with a slice of orange.