At Bar Basso in Milan, the Negroni Sbagliato is ceremoniously trotted out in a goblet the size of a pineapple over an ice cube that would put even the largest craft cubes to shame. And just like the Negroni, its recipe is simple —equal parts Campari and sweet vermouth, topped with prosecco; although there are countless variations.....
Bar Basso has still got the charm of a traditional and classy cocktail bar, comparable to some of the great international bars which are still alive today. A place for connoisseurs who still like to enjoy a flawless drink in style. A truly cult bar for sophisticated drinking devotees, Bar Basso was the first-ever bar in Milan to introduce the “aperitif” to everyday folk. While before cocktails could only be found at the exclusive lounge bars of luxurious international grand hotels, since 1947 cocktails have been served shaken and stirred at this local neighbourhood bar.
Today the Bar Basso cocktail list includes more than 500 drinks, from the great classics such as the Bloody Mary, Manhattan and Martini to the newly invented ones, such as the Rossini - especially created by Mirko Stocchetto to appeal to the ladies, the celebrated hazelnut ice-cream cocktail Mangia e Bevi, which has been famous since the late 60s, and not forgetting, the real trademark drink of Bar Basso, the Negroni Sbagliato®.
But Bar Basso has truly come into its own over the past few decades, since designers working for Ettore Sottsass and other Milanese greats started meeting here regularly – particularly during the annual Salone del Mobile furniture fair. Marc Newson, designer of the iconic Lockheed Lounge, and Ron Arad, of the Loop Loop chair, became regulars, when they were in town meeting with manufacturers and patrons. Fashion designers, editors and bloggers caught on later.Even after Mirko’s death in 2015, the sbagliato remained the same: plentiful in its huge glass, with vast, hand-cut ice cubes and a slice of orange. A few weeks a year, on nights when the fashion and design crowds are celebrating Salone, or Milan Fashion Week, or even Fiera dell’Arte, hundreds of revellers dressed in black spill out onto the sidewalk clutching those colossal glasses. Nobody is eating, everybody is laughing, and the bittersweet memory of the sbagliato clings to the oday the cocktails list menu of Bar Basso includes more than 500 drinks, from the great classics to the newly invented ones, such as Rossini - especially created by Mirko Stocchetto to come closer to the ladies’ taste - the Victoria – dedicated by Mirko’s son, Maurizio, to the bar’s devotee Victoria Beckham – the celebrated hazelnut ice-cream cocktail Mangia e Bevi, which has been famous since the late 60s, and most of all, the real trademark drink of Bar Basso, the Negroni Sbagliato (often referred to as a "Bungled Negroni" or "Wrong Negroni").
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