Sgroppino is a mixed drink from the Italian region of Veneto. The name has been derived from the word sgropìn, which in the local dialect means sorbet. A coworker introduced me to sgroppino in 2009, and I liked it at once. Sgroppini have a very fresh and light taste and are very nice to drink, especially in hot weather. Be careful as they may be too nice and you may not be aware how much alcohol they contain (about 15% by volume, depending on how strong you make them).  Because they are so refreshing, sgroppini are great as a palate cleanser before dessert. If you don’t like heavy desserts, you could even serve just the sgroppini.

The original ingredients of sgroppino were lemon sorbet and grappa. In modern recipes prosecco (which comes from the region of Veneto as well) or another sparkling wines is added, and the grappa is often replaced by vodka (probably because it’s cheaper). Richard McGary mentioned he likes to have limoncello with sparkling wine, which gave me to idea to use limoncello instead of vodka or grappa to make sgroppini. I like this even better than sgroppini made with vodka or grappa, as the limoncello deepens the lemon flavor. Continue reading “Sgroppino”