Negroni Popsicle Sbagliato

Jun 8

Say that three times fast. Wait...drink first. Now do it.

Oh, Negroni Week. That festive time of year when my IG feed is filled with visions of every possible spin and variation of the classic cocktail. It's kind of fun. But Negroni Week is a little bigger than just the drinks. Organized by Imbibe Magazine and Campari, it's a time when participating bars make Negronis and also donations to a given charity. Since 2013, Negroni Week has raised over $900,000 for its charity partners. So the entire point is to find your local participating bars and go get you some Negronis for a cause!

But also, you can make them yourself and maybe donate on your own. You know...if you're a shut-in at home with a bunch of ungrateful chickens...something like that.

I'm on a popsicle kick right now. So when I stumbled across Imbibe's recipe for Negroni Popsicles, I knew I needed them ASAP.

But at the same time, I was intrigued by the lovely Negroni Sbagliato cocktail variation. Literally, the name translates to 'Incorrect Negroni', and famously came to fruition when a bartender was mixing up a Negroni (equal parts gin, Campari, and sweet vermouth) and accidentally used sparkling wine instead of gin. A happy, happy accident.

So how about we make ourselves some Negroni Popsicles then stick them in a glass of pink sparkling wine? Sounds like a solid plan to me.

N E G R O N I P O P S I C L E S B A G L I A T O

To make 6 popsicles/cocktails:

Popsicles (slightly modified from Imbibe's version):

¼ cup gin
¼ cup sweet vermouth
¼ cup Campari
2 ½ cups fresh pink grapefruit juice
Pinch of salt
½ cup orange marmalade syrup (4 tbs. orange marmalade mixed thoroughly with 4 tbs. hot water)

For the cocktail itself, you'll also need:

1 bottle dry pink sparkling wine
edible flowers to garnish (optional, but...come on. Just do it.)

Mix all the popsicle ingredients thoroughly, then pour them into traditional popsicle molds. Freeze for about a half hour, or until just firm enough for the popsicle stick to be inserted and stay put. Freeze for several hours more, or overnight.

When you're ready to serve, run the molds briefly under warm water to loosen the popsicles, remove them, and place one in each glass. Fill glass with approximately a 1/2 cup of sparkling wine and then sprinkle with flowers and serve. As the popsicle melts, stir cocktail with the popsicle stick to combine.