Social media users are living in fear of a shortage of a retro liqueur: Campari.

There’s a reason a drink usually associated with the 1970s and 1980s is suddenly a sellout success, and it comes down to Game of Thrones spinoff House of the Dragon. In an interview with the show’s stars Emma D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke at the beginning of October, conversation turned to their favourite drinks.

D’Arcy’s was a “negroni… sbagliato… with prosecco in it”. The whole saga has since become a viral TikTok sensation.

The sbagliato, which translates as ‘mistake’ in Italian, sources its name from a negroni gone wrong. The traditional recipe is equal parts Campari, gin and sweet vermouth over ice. The sbagliato swaps the gin for a sparkling dry white wine. D’Arcy’s cocktail of choice swaps gin for prosecco for a sweeter taste.

@hbomax I'll take one of each. #houseofthedragon ♬ a negroni sbagliato w prosecco l hbo max - hbomax

Since the interview was published, it has racked up more than 23 million views on TikTok alone. Google searches for negroni sbagliatos shot up more than 501% in the following week, and there was a 5,000% rise in search terms including “negroni sbagliato prosecco”, “sbagliato meaning” and “vermouth”.

“If the collective obsession with That Drink leads to a Campari shortage and disrupts my Campari + soda consumption I will be deeply unhappy,” said one Twitter user. Another chimed in: “Watching people start to like negronis because of TikTok is kinda crazy and I am selfishly only thinking about the impending Campari shortage.”

Creators have put together no end of remixes using D’Arcy and Cooke’s original audio and even Google has jumped on the meme, adding an animation  of a cheersing negroni and gin martini when searching either of the actors’ names (or the drink itself).

“The negroni sbagliato has been around for 50 years, but it’s revealing how one ’stunning’ conversation on TikTok can catapult the serve into the limelight – it really does show the power of social media and the influence of some of our favourite stars,” says Campari Group UK marketing director Sandra Brunet.

Campari brand ambassador and owner of London bar Demon Wise & Partners Paolo Tonellotto reports: “Since the video went viral, we’ve had to stock up on more prosecco than ever. Everyone is keen to give this twist on a classic negroni a try, and it’s been the most ordered drink at the bar all week, with demand not slowing down.”

The spike in demand has required little effort from Campari, which has benefited from luck more than judgement. But it’s made the most of the publicity with its own content, including an Instagram interview with the son of the accidental inventor of the drink (as an alcohol brand, Campari can’t have its own TikTok account).

It’s all a bit reminiscent of Little Moons, which enjoyed a seismic boost to sales following a viral shopper TikTok post about searching for the ice creams in a “big Tesco”, and went on to create traffic-boosting posts of its own.

It shows proactive social media activity is important, but the reactive creativity can be just as – if not even more – crucial. Because when a sbagliato-style opportunity arises, brands need to be ready to capitalise on it (and keep the shelves stocked).

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