I've had relatives drinking negroni for decades, but I had never heard of those variations - thanks for the tip.
As I know them, these are the classic variations of negroni:
- sbagliato: prosecco instead of gin
- Americano: soda instead of gin
- bicicletta: white wine instead of Martini; soda instead of gin
Of course, there's also the spritz - prosecco, Aperol, and soda. The Aperol can be swapped with Campari or amaro to your taste.
One more random tidbit regarding Italian liquors - the traditional after dinner drink in Italy is an amaro. It's both quite strong (~40% alc) and quite sweet - almost syrupy. The name comes from the bitter herbs that give it its flavor/aroma. ("Amaro" literally means "bitter.") Amaro is served in a shot glass, but sipped like a bourbon.
Each village/region makes its own amaro, with its own blend of herbs. For instance, Braulio is a minty amaro that comes from Bormio, a mountain town in the Alps. Over the past few years, it's become much easier to find amari in the US. We even have some varietals that my Italian friends don't know. (In Italy, Nonino is a grapa, not an amaro.)
You have probably heard of amaretto - the almond liqueur. Its name means "little amaro." The most well-known brand is Disaronno. Saronno is a town near the Milan airport. Disaronno is "di Saronno," the amaro from the town of Saronno.
