You’ve heard of a Negroni Sbagliato “with prosecco in it” (sigh), but how about a Sbagliato with kombucha in it? Emma D’Arcy eat your heart out, this twist on the OG Sbagliato is making some serious waves in the Dan’s Daily office. Dry, restrained and quite savoury, the Kombucha Sbagliato is designed for aperitivo hour – specifically next to a big bowl of olives, some cured meats and potato chips. The kombucha lends just enough fruity complexity to carry the bitter, botanical qualities of the vermouth and Campari, and it also comes in at one standard drink per serve, making it a lighter-in-alcohol cocktail than most.
The Sbagliato, which loosely translates as “mistake” in Italian, was never meant to be. Bartender Mirko Stocchetto (Bar Basso, Milan) accidentally reached for the sparkling wine instead of the gin – or so the story goes – and the rest is delicious history. The happiest of accidents. Our ’buch variation, however, is very intentional and we think very tasty.
If you’re unfamiliar with kombucha, let us give you the lowdown on this naturally fizzy, funky brew. It had a bit of a moment a few years back with influencers, self-professed health gurus and hippies, who claimed it was good for healing your gut flora. And although the jury is still out, we can all agree that it is an intriguing drink, so much so that it’s gone mainstream. Made from a combo of sugar, tea and a scoby (AKA a ‘symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeasts’), plenty of people opt to ferment their own kombucha at home. The scoby looks kind of like a large flat jellyfish, as you’ll know if you’ve ever had a housemate who keeps one in the pantry, but it’s nothing to be afraid of. During the fermentation process, the yeast converts the sugar into alcohol and then the bacteria converts the alcohol into organic acids – which means the finished product is very low in sugar (some have none at all). From there you’re left with a sharp, tangy and refreshing beverage – a perfect ingredient for cocktails, but especially the Kombucha Sbagliato. The process of making a successful ’buch takes time, so it’s great to see there’s a huge range of bottled kombucha to buy these days.
