The non-alcoholic Negroni Sbagliato

"Sbagliato" is Italian for "mistaken" or "messed up". The story goes that a bartender at Bar Basso in Milan, reaching for gin to make a Negroni, grabbed a bottle of sparkling wine instead. The drink is usually dated to the late 1960s or early 1970s, and Bar Basso still serves it in huge, chunky glasses.

The recipe is equal parts Campari and sweet vermouth, topped with dry sparkling wine, usually prosecco or another Italian spumante. It's served over ice in a rocks glass or a wine glass, with an orange slice.

A non-alcoholic sbagliato needs the same three parts. Each swap has a job:

• The bitter must be properly bitter, with a bright orange edge. It carries the drink.
• The sweet vermouth adds spice, cherry and weight. Zero-proof versions tend to be sweet, so it's the part to pull back if the drink is cloying.
• The sparkling wine replaces both the dryness and the lift that gin gives a Negroni. It needs acidity and bubbles that last, and it shouldn't be too sweet.

Like a lighter, fizzier Negroni. You get the same bitter orange and gentian from the Campari and the sweet, spiced cherry notes of the vermouth, but the sparkling wine replaces the gin's juniper and burn with bubbles and a dry, fruity finish. It's less intense than a Negroni and more bitter than an Aperol spritz. It's often recommended as a first step into bitter drinks.

Curious Elixirs No. 1 is a ready-made sbagliato: a bitter pomegranate take on the Negroni Sbagliato, made with rhodiola. Each bottle is two drinks. Pour it over ice and add an orange twist. The pomegranate makes it fruitier than a classic sbagliato, but it has the bitter orange and gentian you're looking for, and it's the only ready-made sbagliato in our catalogue.

If you already have a bottle of St. Agrestis Phony Negroni, you can turn it into a quick sbagliato by pouring half a bottle over ice and topping it with a dry non-alcoholic sparkling wine. It'll have a little juniper from the Negroni, which isn't traditional, but it's a good shortcut.

The bitter (the Campari slot)

This is the backbone of the drink. You want a red bitter with real bitterness, not a soft orange aperitivo.

• Lyre's Italian Orange is the most direct non-alcoholic Campari substitute: bright red, with blood orange, rhubarb and gentian and a clean bitter finish. It's a little sweet on its own, but it's the most familiar-tasting sbagliato.
• Lapo's Aperitivo is a red bitter of Italian orange and gentian with hibiscus, juniper and rhubarb root, built for Negronis and spritzes. It's bittersweet, and the hibiscus adds a tart edge that works well with sparkling wine.
• Pathfinder Hemp & Root is the most bitter option we know: wormwood, orange, saffron and ginger. It's closer to an amaro than Campari, and it makes a sbagliato for people who find other versions too sweet.
• Lyre's Italian Spritz, the Aperol-style bottle, makes a softer, more orange sbagliato. It's a good way in if you're new to bitter drinks.

The sweet vermouth

There are fewer non-alcoholic sweet vermouths than bitters, and our catalogue lists two rosso options. Both work, but they give different drinks.

• Roots Divino Rosso is properly bitter for a rosso, with cinnamon, clove and dark herbs. It's less sweet than most, which makes it the better match for a sweeter sparkling wine.
• Lyre's Aperitif Rosso is rounder and sweeter, with cherry, clove, vanilla and bitter bark. It makes a smoother sbagliato and pairs best with a dry sparkling wine and a very bitter aperitivo.

If you don't have a non-alcoholic sweet vermouth, the drink still works as a bitter spritz: bitter aperitivo, sparkling wine and a splash of soda. It won't have the spice, but it'll be refreshing.

The sparkling wine

This is the part that makes or breaks a non-alcoholic sbagliato. It has to be cold, lively and dry enough to cut the vermouth.

• Leitz Eins Zwei Zero Sparkling Rosé is our pick. It has strawberry and red currant, fine bubbles, and a fruitiness that suits the bitter orange. The pink color looks great in the glass.
• Oddbird Blanc de Blancs is aged before the alcohol is removed, so it has a toasty depth. It gives the drink more of a wine character.
• Bolle Blanc de Blancs is dry, with very little sugar and a bready, toasty edge. It's the best choice with the sweeter Lyre's pair.
• Mionetto Alcohol-Removed Sparkling is made from Glera, the prosecco grape. It's the closest to a sbagliato with prosecco, but it's a little sweet, so pair it with Roots Divino Rosso.
• Surely Sparkling Brut has full acidity and a dry finish, which is exactly what this drink needs.

Sweetness adds up across all three bottles, so balance them against each other.

• Sweet bitter + sweet vermouth = dry sparkling. Lyre's Italian Orange and Lyre's Aperitif Rosso need a dry partner like Bolle or Surely.
• Very bitter + bitter vermouth = fruitier sparkling. Pathfinder and Roots can handle the Leitz rosé or Mionetto, and a bit of fruit softens them.
• In doubt, add soda. A splash of soda cuts sweetness without watering down the flavor, and it turns the drink into more of a spritz.

A sbagliato is built, not stirred or shaken, and a few details make a real difference.

Choose your glass. Bar Basso serves it in an oversized goblet, but a heavy rocks glass works at home and keeps the drink short and bitter. A wine glass suits the longer spritz version.

Use big ice. One large cube, or a glass full of large cubes. Small ice melts quickly, and non-alcoholic drinks turn watery faster than you'd expect.

Build the still parts first. Pour the bitter and the vermouth over the ice and give them a quick stir to chill and mix them. Then top with the sparkling wine.

Stir once, gently. Lift from the bottom with a bar spoon. Any more and you'll knock the bubbles out.

Keep the sparkling wine very cold, and open it just before you pour. Warm fizz foams up and goes flat. If you're making just one or two drinks, Gruvi Dry Secco in single-serve bottles saves you opening a full 750 ml.

Garnish with an orange slice. A half-wheel of orange adds aroma and a little acidity. Some bars use a twist of peel instead.

Our house sbagliato uses the Lyre's pair with sparkling rosé. It's familiar, bittersweet and easy to like.

If that's too sweet for you, the bitter version uses Pathfinder and Roots with a dry blanc de blancs. It's closer to the real thing.

A "Negroni spritz" or "sbagliato spritz" is the same drink made longer: more sparkling wine, a splash of soda and a wine glass full of ice. It's lighter and more refreshing, and it's forgiving of sweeter bottles, because the extra fizz and soda dilute the sugar.

• Negroni. The original, with non-alcoholic gin in place of the sparkling wine. Stronger, more bitter and stirred.
• Americano. Bitter and vermouth topped with soda water instead of wine. The ancestor of both drinks.
• Aperol spritz. Softer and sweeter, with no vermouth.
• Spritz. The whole bitter spritz family, from orange to properly bitter.

Bars that already make a zero-proof Negroni can usually make a sbagliato, so it's worth asking. These alcohol-free bars and bottle shops are a good place to start: