Refreshing Sgroppino
I was first served this drink after-dinner at a small family restaurant on Campo San Margherita in Venice last year. The waiter simply announced after we finished our dinner that he was going to serve us one of Venice’s most famous digestivi. He prepared the Sgroppino (pronounced grop PIH no) at our table, whisking the ingredients in a metal bowl until the mixture was light and fluffy as a mousse and then served it immediately to his admiring diners. It was wonderful, a revelation. Perhaps most telling is that this was a gift – he never charged us for the drink. Is that a great country or what?
Since then, I have made and served it to guests several times after dinners at home or simply as a cool, restorative drink. It is a wonderful, refreshing drink that is relatively simple and quick to prepare. In Venice,
Ingredients (makes 4 servings):
1-1/2 Cups lemon sorbet
1-1/2 Cups Prosecco
¼ Cup vodka or grappa
1 tablespoon limoncello (optional)
4 sprigs fresh mint (optional)
The preparation couldn’t be simpler:
Place all the ingredients (except the fresh mint) in a chilled metal bowl. Quickly whisk all the ingredients together by hand. Spoon the mixture into pre-chilled champagne glasses, garnish with a sprig of fresh mint and serve immediately.
But there are several things to pay attention to when preparing the drink:
- Use lemon sorbet and not a sherbet and a dry, high-quality Prosecco such as Nino Franco’s “Rustico” Prosecco di Valdobbiadene.
- Don’t whisk the sorbet-Prosecco mixture too vigorously or it will become too liquid and separate.
- The glasses in which the Sgroppino is to served should be chilled in advance.
Richard Marcis
September 8, 2008
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